Gift of the Gods
by 1 Jagged Outlaw Queen
Summary: What happens when evil entities incur the wrath of the parents of a few exceptionally gifted, extraordinarily young witches? ****I support and ship Outlaw Queen, Zades, Snowing, Captain Swan & Ruby Slippers. Please, contact me only if you can appreciate this.****
1. Chapter 1

**Beware the Red-Headed Witch & Her Husband; Lord Death**

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hello again! Eventually, it is my hope to fold the following story into my own alternate universe which began with the story A Wicked Witch, A Wounded Queen, Her Battered Thief, & Someone's Baby. Before you get started on the story please be advised of a few important things. Number one; there is a slight time jump between the beginning of this story and the end of my last, and by slight, I mean nearly five years. Number two; I do intend to go back and fill in the five-year gap at a later date. Number three; I am not the sole author of this story. It is a collaborative effort between myself and fan fiction author mercersburgrachel. Originally, we intended this to be a cute funny little one-shot that we wanted to post on or around Halloween, but the story, as is usually the case when I'm at the wheel - whether I have company or not, has taken on a life of its own and become something larger than we first intended. Number four; we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we are enjoying writing it.

 **Disclaimer:** Guess what? I'm sorry to say we still don't own Once Upon a Time, Harry Potter, or either band of marvelous characters. They are not ours. No profit shall be obtained from the writing of this story other than our own personal satisfaction.

* * *

Snow checks her wristwatch and begins shoving her belongings into her tote. "It's 2:45 Regina. I've got to get going. Preschool lets out in 15 minutes, but don't forget about the kudzu that's obscuring the stop sign at the corner of Maple and Main."

"Right, I'll get someone on it first thing tomorrow morning." Regina reaches for her own handbag as well."

As the two women head for the outer door to the mayor's office, Leroy comes bursting in and Regina scowls in response to his less than well-mannered entry. "

"Thank goodness you haven't left for the day. We've got 'em bad, Madame Mayor. They're everywhere. The whole cave is overrun!"

Of their own accord, Regina's hands find her hips. "Leroy, I hope you swing a pickax better than you deliver a message. What in the name of all that is dark and unholy are you talking about?"

"Elven dust mites!"

"Ugh!" Regina sighs in disgust and drops her bag in the seat of the chair behind her desk! "There goes my quiet afternoon at home with Roland and Norah."

Snow wrinkles her nose in perplexity. "Elven dust mites?"

"That's what the dwarf said." Regina hisses dryly.

"What are they?

Regina thinks about her question for ½ a second before answering. "Think of enchanted dust mites hopped up on steroids that shimmer."

Snow scowls. "I'm not sure I know what a dust mite looks like."

"Try a termite then."

"And they're here; in Storybrooke? How do you suppose they got here?"

"It doesn't matter how they got here, Snow. All that matters is that they leave before they eat through Storybrooke's entire supply of fairy dust. If they are given enough time to gorge themselves and get worked up into that kind of feeding frenzy, purveyors of light magic are going to be next. If they don't completely wipe Storybrooke out of existence, they'll start killing townspeople."

Regina does not run, but as she leaves the town hall with an unmistakably deadly purpose in her stride, it's impossible for people passing by on the sidewalk not to notice and wonder aloud, "Oh god! What's happening now?

Snow follows along beside her, taking twice as many steps as her just to keep up with her ground eating strides. "How do we stop them?"

"They literally eat light magic; or any vessel that holds it. Once they get whipped up into a feeding frenzy, they get greedy. They will eat any vessel; Even if that vessel is a living breathing human being."

Snow repeats, "How do we stop them?"

"Only one way I know of."

"And that would be?"

"Go dark."

"In the middle of the day? I'm guessing that you're not suggesting we somehow engineer a man-made eclipse."

"Nope."

"You mean you're going dark!"

"Now you're catching on."

"You can't Regina!"

"Oh, but I can." She smiles with sinister intent.

"No, you can't! You haven't - not since you found out you were pregnant with Norah. Look, slow down and think about this for a minute! I'm not just trying to keep you from going dark. I'm trying to keep you alive. You haven't tapped into the dark side for almost five years. What if you're rusty?"

Regina throws back her head and laughs with pure dark abandon.

Snow's eyes go wide. "Okay, maybe you're not as rusty as I thought!"

Regina marches on, headed for the mouth of the cave where the dwarfs mine fairy dust. Halfway there, she decides she's bored with the hike, and tired of Mary Poppins chattering away in her ear like some sort of sunshine infested magpie. She disappears in a roiling cloud of her customary royal purple vapor.

Left behind, Snow mutters under her breath, "Damn it!" and nearly comes out of her skin when her daughter taps her on the shoulder immediately thereafter, and offers her a look of intense concern.

"What's happening?"

"Regina's off to kill the elven dust mites. Quick, take me to the cave,"

Even before their feet leave the ground, Emma starts, "Mom, what are elven dust m…?"

"ites?" By the time she finishes speaking, they're arriving at the mouth of the cave. One look at the deceptively beautiful critters who are blanketing the inner walls of the cave and she is rendered speechless. "These are dust mites? They are the size of watermelons."

Having arrived seconds before them, Regina glowers at Snow. "You know, every once in a while, I make the mistake of thinking you've gotten smarter than you were when you were ten years old! I just told you, these things devour any vessel that contains light magic! So, what do you do? You bring your daughter, the savior, the friggin' product of true love, straight into the lion's den to be sacrificed."

Snow looks around at a loss. "This doesn't seem so bad, I mean, yeah, they're eating the fairy dust like you said they would, but I was expecting them to look, I don't know – more evil. They are actually rather pretty."

Regina rolls her eyes, "Ever read this world's story of Lucifer, Christ's most beautiful angel?" With the flick of her wrist, she releases a small controlled blast of dazzling white magic; purely for demonstration purposes.

Instantly aware that they're in the company of a great source light power, the pretty, melon-sized bugs invert their colorful shells and reveal the black hideousness at their core. Suddenly, they rush toward Regina and expose pincers and jaws with malicious intent.

Emma yelps, momentarily hitting that mind-stumping, ear-splitting pitch that can usually only be reached by twelve-year-old girls and four-year-old boys."

Standing equidistant from both sides of the cave, Regina waits, thinking there's no need to rush. She has at least a good ten seconds. And that's when she hears a sound that instantly turns her blood to ice and terror seizes her heart in its vice grip. The single word. "Mama." is heard even before the small cloud of mauve colored smoke appears six inches to her right.

Even before her daughter fully materializes, Regina lunges and, with perfect timing, lifts Norah up into her arms. She holds the girl's small body prisoner against her own, forces her head down onto her shoulder and warns, "Close your eyes. Norah. Don't look. "I've got you. You're safe. Don't look."

She releases an unrestrained blast of dark magic. At first, the sinister bugs are shocked into immobility, then they screech horribly. They scatter in all directions. Half of them charging Regina while the others attempt to flee in vain and release their thunderous death howl.

Not always inclined to do as she's told, little 3 ½-year-old Norah picks her head up off her mother's shoulder and fights her way around until she can see what's happening. As soon as she does, she squeals in panic, squeezes her eyes shut for one terrified second, but then quickly recovers and lifts her own small hands.

An unfettered rush of raw power blasts forth hard enough to rock the walls of the cave and Norah declares, "Bad bugs! No! Bad bugs not eat Mama! "Bad, bad. bugs go bye-bye!"

Mauve colored manifestations of power, co-mingle with Regina's red, they slowly go a deep purple, before finally ending in jets of obsidian black with pinpoints of white starlight. A blinding flash of light and a rush of superheated wind explodes backward toward the mouth of the case, it wraps around Emma and Snow and dissipates quicker than a hiccup; before it has time to scorch their hair, flesh, and lungs. When it's over, there's not a bug in sight, but before anyone can voice appreciation for this the inner walls of the cave groan lowly; almost as if in protest.

Regina turns and shouts, "Go now!" even though she's already de-materializing with her daughter in her arms.

An instant later, she's outside. Watching Emma materialize with her mother's hand held tightly in hers.

They bend at the waist, with their hands on their knees, struggling for breath as Regina brushes the dust off them and giant boulder-sized rocks tumble and fall sealing the mouth of the cave shut.

Coughing, Snow declares. "Leroy and the boys are not going to be happy about that. They're going to have to dig their way back in there?"

With more important things on her mind Regina says tartly, "You're welcome!" She sits down on the grass and looks her toddler over; head to toe. "Are you okay, honey?"

Norah nods in mild uncertainty. "I okay… If bad bugs are gone." The little girl looks herself over; checking under her arms, lifting her small legs, and peering cautiously into the bib pocket of her lime green overalls."

Regina smiles. "Did you find any?"

"Nope! Bugs all gone, Mama."

"Okay good." Regina's lighthearted tone shifts and becomes harder. "What are you doing here, young lady!" How many times have we told you? You are not allowed to go anywhere using your magic without Mama or Daddy with you!"

Norah suddenly looks unpleasantly surprised. "Uh huh, Mama. Have to!"

"Oh really? Why? Why did you have to?

"Cuz, Henry school, Roro asleep. He take nap. Can't find Daddy; he's in the trees. Have to come find you. Need Mama."

"Honey, Aunt Zelena will get you anything you need."

Norah shakes her head solemnly. "Na uh, Mama. Auntie Zena fell down. She asleep on the floor. She not wake up."

* * *

Meanwhile in the Underworld…

"Ladies, ladies. Let's be civilized, shall we? There's no need to be so hostile." Hades placates, annoyed and perched stiffly above them on a throne carved out of obsidian.

He has called both Cora and Cruella into his domain, a magnificently grand hall meant to intimidate, boasting the finest furnishings and decorated with ancient murals depicting his many accomplishments so that he could hear their grievances. The twin to his throne was empty, signaling that his wife was out, but that didn't mean she was any less revered by their subjects.

Cora glares at Cruella. "You're lucky you're already dead."

Cruella laughs maniacally. "You're the one who's lucky; you spoiled, entitled, wench. You can dress yourself up in royal threads all day long. But, we both know, under it all, you're just a dirty little street urchin with flour under her nails."

Cora hisses with venom in her words. "One of these days, I'm going to figure out how to sic your own dogs on you."

Hades drums his fingernails against the arms of his throne. "Enough! The underworld is big enough for both of you. Now, go! Get out of my sight!"

"But!" They both turn to him.

He rises to his feet; his head erupting in blue flames. "If you two don't…" He's abruptly silenced by the sight of an emerging flame that starts out as a small green dot in the corner of his inner sanctum and grows in size, going a soft shade of little girl pink around the edges until it is big enough for his sobbing 4½-year-old to appear.

"Daddy!" She wails, running over and throwing her chubby little arms around his legs.

Much to their displeasure, Hades forgets all about the quarreling women who both seen to be of the opinion that they are entitled to some sort of rank here in the underworld.

"Eliana! What's the matter, precious?" He scoops her up in his arms. "Are you hurt?"

The red-headed child with bright blue eyes shakes her head adamantly. "Daddy, Mummy fell down and she won't wake up."

Hades frowns instantly and confirms his wife's present locale, "Where is Mummy, my sweet?

"Auntie Gina's house."

"Pain! Panic!" He roars loud enough to make the two women present wince and shield their ears.

His two, quivering, man-servants appear instantly, "Yes, Your Unholiness."

"Escort the ladies out, now! We're done here!" To his daughter, he says, "Okay, Hang on tight. Here we go." And with that, he blinks and disappears from view; leaving Cora and Cruella to stare after him in fury.

Cruella huffs, "Of all the nerve!"

Cora agrees. "If Regina, at that age, or any other, had dared to interrupt me while I was seated before subjects…"

"Ladies…" Pain and Panic gesture toward the exit.

Cora snaps, "Oh alright! We're going! Don't get your little Gregorian cloaks in a twist.

Purely for her own sadistic amusement, Cruella kicks Pain in the shin on her way out the door.

* * *

Arriving in Storybrooke within the time it takes to blink, courtesy of his godly powers, Hades stands in the center of the great room of Robin and Regina's grandly refurbished, centuries-old octagonal shaped apple barn. Calling his wife's name, his first stop is the only other room on this level of the three-story dwelling that is easily 80 feet tall at its highest point. When he finds her, sprawled on her back on the kitchen floor, he rushes to kneel at her side where he gently sets his crying daughter on her feet again. Cradling his wife's head in his lap, he gently caresses her face while his right hand blindly feels her wrist; searching for her radial artery and the pulse he already knows he should find there. But, knowing doesn't help. He checks anyway. "Zelena? My love? Please, darling, open your eyes."

He knows this moment isn't her last. He's a god. Gods always know. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for their omnipotent knowledge, to fade or become cloudy where loved ones are concerned.

"Damn it." He curses quietly. Why isn't she waking up? She should be waking up! Breathing deeply, he wills himself to calm down; to breathe, and to turn his focus inward.

He closes his eyes and squeezes her small hand gently as his daughter pleads, "Daddy?"

Just as he's about to cut through the deafening noise of his own emotions, just about to count the heartbeats present in this room; one, two, three - or are there four? He questions just as Regina arrives with a wide-eyed Norah on her hip, looking both worried and put out at the same time.

There are five beating hearts in the room and his mind is too frazzled to detect more than what his eyes can see.

For a moment, he and Regina simply stare at one another and then she is there kneeling at his wife's other side. She looks her sister's body over. She shows no outward signs of injury. Regina palpates her sister's neck in search of a throbbing carotid artery. When she finds it, she brusquely taps her sister's cheek, feeling somewhat less inclined to be gentle that Zelena's lover. "Hey, come on, Greenie. Time to rise and shine. Open your eyes, sit up and argue with me! Come on, let's go. I don't have all day!"

Hades glares. "Do you have to be so abrupt? Give her a minute to come around."

"Stop arguing," Zelena mumbles thickly.

"Zelena, my love." Hades croaks in relief."

"I'm fine, I just fainted. Are the girl's okay? She tries to sit up and winds up resting on her elbows. "Elia, don't worry, princess, Mummy is fine."

Considerably more relaxed now that he can talk to his wife and she can actively respond, Hades places a hand over her heart and tries once again to turn his focus inward. It takes several long seconds, but ultimately a calmer head, not to mention heart, gives him what he needs to prevail. Regina watches intently. Although there is no detectable evidence of anything magical or godly happening, she's acutely aware of his intense concentration and she beckons Eliana to her side in an attempt to comfort the worried girl. When approached, she wraps one arm around the girl, but Eliana's seemed to draw more comfort from the simple act of placing her small hand in Norah's as they watch quietly, both of them also aware that something important is happening.

Finally, at long last, Hades smiles and offers his wife an enthusiastic but chaste kiss on the mouth. "I thought so, but I couldn't be certain; not when I was worried enough to almost panic. Plus, with Regina and Norah popping in at a crucial moment, it interfered with my concentration and my count." He gently runs his fingers through his wife's hair. "There are six heartbeats in this room."

Zelena squints in confusion; her younger sister putting the pieces together a ½ step ahead of her.

"Six?" Regina questions. "Not five?"

Hades nods and then, second-guessing, shakes his head "Make that eight." He almost smiles the single instant before Emma and her mother step hurriedly through the door.

Regina groans and declares, "You're pregnant." In the same moment that her older sister smiles and questions her husband, "I'm pregnant?"

Nodding with enthusiasm, Hades offers his wife another kiss.

"Yeah, yeah, congratulations," Regina says dryly. "Get her up off my floor and to the hospital to be checked out."

Zelena's shakes her head as Snow and Emma look on wide-eyed, but quiet. "I don't need to go to the hospital. I'm fine. I fainted, that's all. I just stood up too fast."

"Oh, no you don't! You're going!" Regina says firmly. You are not going to wait until the Rh incompatibility between his and your blood puts you and this baby in jeopardy like last time. It can be treated if the doctors know about it early on, remember?" Regina reaches down, offering her a hand. "Come on, up you go. Carrying a child who isn't half-god is hard enough on a woman's body. Carrying one who is, plus the RH factor thing…"

Hades helps gently lift her to her feet. "For once, Regina and I are in complete agreement. You're going, and I don't want to hear a single argument come from those luscious lips of yours."

* * *

Regina paces with boredom in the waiting area outside the emergency wing of the hospital. When Robin simply shows up in response to the text message she sent summoning him, without actually bothering to reply to said text message, she's not at all surprised.

He steps into the waiting area and immediately takes hold of her outstretched hand. "What's going on."

"We're waiting for confirmation from Weil. Hades is in there with Zelena, now. "

"Confirmation of what?"

"She's pregnant. Hades detected an extra heartbeat."

"He can do that?"

Regina nods. "I'm not absolutely certain of this, but I'm nearly positive that all gods can. I'm sure the power to do so is seated in their omnipotence."

Then, why didn't he just tell her… You know… The moment conception occurred."

Regina shakes her head. "Probably doesn't work that way. I mean, he could likely do that with other people, but when you have an emotional attachment to someone - especially when you love someone – powers of perception aren't as sharp. The water gets a little murky."

"Make sense. None of us thinks particularly clearly when someone we love is in distress. Where are the girls?"

"I left them and Roland with Daddy."

"Your dad is watching your sister's daughter? Good man."

Regina smiles wryly. "He might have felt differently if Mother had ever done anything to actually encourage his affection. As she didn't, I don't think he cares enough to be insulted. Besides, Zelena was born before she even knew Daddy. Although, not much before… And Daddy fathered another woman's child while married to Mother. Under the circumstances, he would consider it gauche for the pot to call the kettle black."

Robin shoots a friendly but curious look in the direction of Emma and Snow. "What brings you two here?"

"Good question?" Regina raises an eyebrow. It's not necessary for either of you to be waiting here. So, why are you?"

Snow stares at her in utter shock. She drops her voice to a discreet level. "You're kidding, right? We just saw you and your three-year-old daughter take out an entire cave full of elven dust mites. Your daughter caused the cave to collapse – and you don't know why we're here?"

Regina hisses even more quietly as Robin suddenly eyes his wife with concern. "This is not that time, or the place, Snow. I will not discuss this with you now. Go home! I will talk to you later."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the exam room, Zelena hugs her husband warmly. Having just received the confirmation they were waiting for, she smiles up at him standing beside the exam table and questions in astonishment "How is it that I'm the one who gets pregnant every time you and I make up after a fight?"

Laughing softly, Hades winks and replies comically, "Because I don't have the uterus."


	2. Chapter 2

Hades and Zelena stay at the hospital long enough to make arrangements with the doctor for Rh treatment and then to talk to Regina just long enough to confirm that she is, indeed, pregnant. Upon leaving the hospital, the king of the underworld returns to his domain happily in the company of his daughter and his bride. While an inexplicably cranky Eliana is napping, her mother and father, feeling quite celebratory, cuddle up together in the privacy of their opulent bedchamber and begin reminiscing about the circumstances surrounding both conceptions.

Hades has redecorated his inner sanctum since marrying Zelena, wanting her to have the lavish atmosphere he thinks is worthy of her. He had the finest black and white marble imported from Greece for the floors and support columns, incorporating a mosaic of angels and demons on the ceiling. A crystal chandelier lit the room, highlighting the two wall fountains on either side of the large four-poster bed. Outfitted in layers of black and gold brocade, the bed linens match that of the empire-style chaise sitting at the foot of the bed. And finally, to accommodate Zelena's mortal needs, he had installed a walk-in closet and adjacent bathroom for the two of them.

"You were jealous." She comments, stretched out on the bed in a dress fit for the Queen of Hell. Due to the Underworld's warmer climate, it is constructed out of lightweight black silk chiffon, cut with a hip-high slit and plunging neckline. The top half weaves across her torso and back in a spider web pattern, leaving plenty of warm supple flesh on display. Because Zelena also finds that she enjoys the feeling of cold metal on her skin, she often wears either gold hand bracelets or anklets in the Mediterranean style.

Hades shakes his head as he watches her sample the brie on a cracker he's only just fed her while gazing at the vine of diamonds braided into her hair. "I wasn't exactly… jealous."

"You were. I wanted to go back in time, take Marian's place and, in doing so, steal Robin away from Regina. And you acted like you were afraid I might actually enjoy masquerading as that mousy little hausfrau."

"You were… You are my wife. How did I know if it was safe? Marian was supposed to be his wife, and he moved her out to a tent in the middle of a forest full of scoundrels. If you ask me, that definitely shows a lack of concern on his part for her safety. And, I have no idea what he's like as a husband. He could've done anything to you."

Zelena laughs and offers him a sip of wine from a crystal chalice rimmed in gold. "You are so cute when you're jealous. You seriously don't think the Wicked Witch of the West could defend herself against whatever that lowly forest-dwelling thief could throw at her?"

"I'd rather you not have to defend yourself. That's my job. And, it's one I take very seriously.

"Oh, how well I remember. We fought for days. No one came to the court for fear of encountering us. They were afraid you'd set them on fire."

Hades chuckles. "No, my darling. I beg to differ, they were afraid you would turn them into one of your flea-bitten winged primates. In fact, you did. Eliana's 4½ years old now and every once in a while, I still think I see Pain and Panic scratching!"

"That was not my fault! They walked in on us while I was throwing things at you! Who does that? They asked for it! And anyway, I did change them back." Zelena pouts flirtatiously hoping that, with the right encouragement, he will change the subject.

"If we are going to stroll down memory lane, I'd rather talk about making up with you than fighting with you."

Completely self-satisfied, Zelena's shrugs. "Sure, why not. I'm already pregnant. So, I don't see what harm talking about it and do. Wait - I take that back! With our luck, you'll get aroused and manage to get me pregnant again. We'll wind up with twins with two different birthdays."

Hades chuckles. "Is that even possible?"

"Actually, my love, it's not only possible, you don't even have to be a god to manage it."

"Do you remember…"

She smiles seductively "Do I remember? Do you?"

"Well, let me see. We were arguing about your plans for Robin and Regina…. You were throwing things. I was doing a pretty good job of managing to keep my temper in check until you broke my best vinyl recording of Puccini. Then I started flame throwing. Pain and Panic came to investigate what all the fuss was about, I fricasseed them, and you banished them to the emerald mining prison in Oz. It took me almost a month to get them back! I knew it was going to take that long, and I was pretty hot about it until -right in the middle of the argument- you decided you'd rather make love than war.

Zelena giggles in satisfaction.

"I was trying to ignore you, but then you had to go and lay those perfect lips of yours on my neck. They were cold."

"Of course, they were. You're used to it, baby. You don't realize how hot it is down here. I'm always munching on ice to keep from melting."

Hades moves in close and steals a kiss. "I didn't realize it was an issue until your first night here, when you stripped down as soon as you could, threw me down on our bed, and had your way with me. I had more sex in our first week as god and wife than in 200 years of my immortal life!" He reaches into the champagne bucket on her bedside table and feeds her another ice cube.

"Your tongue was cold too, that night. Just like now. That's why I forgot all about the argument. Suddenly I wanted…"

She smiles slyly. "Yes, I remember what you wanted."

"Things were going pretty well until your mother decided to walk in unannounced. Something that, I might add, she wouldn't have been able to do if we hadn't sent Pain and Panic packing."

Zelena lifts one shoulder in a lazy shrug and stretches languidly, pressing her body against his; making contact in all the right places while she pouts, "Serves her right! Trying the way she did back then to have you for herself. She's lucky I didn't realize it was her in that moment!

"She stopped chasing me after that. Still, I'm glad she didn't see your face. Not the most ideal way for mother and daughter to meet."

Zelena's smiles wickedly. "I wish she had seen my face. It would serve her right. First, she couldn't have Leopold so, she used Regina to get him. Now, she's stuck in the underworld and she can't wheedle her way into power, because her own daughter, the one she threw away, is already sitting on the throne. That's still delicious. I could dine on that…" She pauses to clear her throat, "Ahem… memory every night for the rest of my life."

"What about this time around, my love?"

She smiles. "At least this time it happened because we were celebrating, as opposed to fighting."

"Ah, yes!" Hades reaches for his glass of expertly chilled champagne and lifts it into the air from his supine position beneath satin sheets. "Here's to the death of the Black Fairy. I would've killed her myself if dear ole Rumple hadn't beaten me to it. May her time here in the underworld be excruciatingly long!" He gently caresses the hand resting on his bare chest. "You know she came to see me, right?"

Her long red tresses shimmer brilliantly in the candlelight and her blue eyes go wide as Zelena shakes her head in surprise. "No. When was that?"

He splays a tender hand across her still-flat abdomen. "The night we did this. She wanted a second chance. Wanted me to send her topside again."

Zelena laughs merrily. "Well, that explains your ardor. As I recall, you were feeling quite passionate. Even more so than usual. I assume you are reveling in the experience of denying her request."

"That, I was."

"I don't blame you, dear heart. But just out of idle curiosity, what did she offer you in exchange?

"It seems Mama is just the tiniest bit put out with her darling boy."

"Can't imagine why." Zelena offers snidely."

"I do believe she would like to give him a right good thrashing. She offered to put herself at my disposal, provided of course that I not only pardon her from this place but also that I help her overthrow Regina in Storybrooke. She offered to take over down here so that you and I might be rid of this place in exchange for her return to corporeal life.

Zelena sighs tiredly. "Is she still on that kick? Been there; done that. Besides Hades, all I really want to focus on is the baby. If you want to leave this place that's okay with me, but if she's going to take on Regina, she's going to have to do it alone." Zelena giggles and smirks. "It might be fun to watch though. Regina is no longer a novice at shadow casting. Fiona might get her pretty little ass handed to her."

With his body and soul warmed by her laughter, Hades eases her back onto the pillows for a slow-building kiss that takes its time before it ultimately burns out of control.

Twenty minutes later, when the Queen of Purgatory screams in ecstasy, Panic is a half-second away from intruding when Pain stops him with a death grip on the arm. "Are you insane or just a glutton for punishment? How many times have we gone in there thinking the Master was in need, only to find them floating two feet off the bed, courtesy of some magical misfire, and in the throes of some bizarre tantric sex act? Yet, somehow, we're the ones who keep getting incinerated! I have seen more of that witch's breasts than I saw of my own wife's before I had the misfortune to die and get stuck here in this rotting cesspool!


	3. Chapter 3

Two days later, Regina is seated on the wooden patio chaise on Emma's back porch in the glow of evening sunlight. She and Robin have gathered with Snow and David for a steak dinner prepared courtesy of Captain Killian Jones. She's content to sit and silently wonder at male bravado and the bonding experience that takes place any time more than two of them are within spitting distance of each other, at least until Snow sits down in the empty seat beside hers and quietly offers her a fresh glass of wine before asking, "So, Zelena's pregnant?"

"That, she is."

David breaks into the conversation flourishing his barbecue spatula to get attention. "She's pregnant? Again?"

Regina nods.

"You okay with that?"

Regina squints as she shrugs. "Why wouldn't I be okay with that, David?"

"Well, I seem to recall you weren't too thrilled about it last time."

"David." Regina rolls her eyes. That was because my niece's paternity was in question; in a way that I personally found rather revolting. That's not the case this time."

Grinning ear to ear, Hook teases, "Are we sure?"

"She's married to Lord Death. If any man in this town, any man other than her husband, was dumb enough to bed her, I do not want to know about it."

"Did they intend for it to happen? Was it planned?"

Regina shakes her head. I don't know for certain, but I don't think so. If they had planned on it, I imagine Zelena would've been looking for the signs. I don't think she was. I think the pregnancy kind of snuck up on her. It's different when gods and humans - I don't want to say mate or breed, that just sounds – Regina wrinkles her nose. "It's different when gods and humans come together in that way. Especially if, as in Zelena's case, the woman is the human. Although there have been successful attempts, they're rare. it's dangerous. A human woman's body is not designed to be a vessel for a child that is half-god. Having been through it once, she knows this. The one thing that probably makes it bearable for her is the fact that she's such a powerful witch. If she were not magical, I have my doubts that she would've survived Eliana's birth. If she planned this current pregnancy, I don't think Norah would've had reason to come looking for me two days ago at the cave."

"Hey," Emma joins in, "Speaking of the cave… I've been dying to ask. It wasn't just my imagination, was it? Because I swear I saw your three-year-old daughter let loose a blast of magic strong enough to cause that cave in."

All frivolity momentarily stops as all eyes turn Regina's way. She, in turn, looks to Robin with a silent question burning in her eyes, and he shrugs. Taking a long pull from his beer bottle before he speaks. "We knew we were going to tell them sooner or later."

"That's true. I guess I was just hoping it would be later; and, everyone, I really would appreciate it if we could keep this between ourselves. The fewer people who know about this the better."

Snow nods and reaches for Regina's hand, instantly concerned. "Is Norah alright? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. Norah's fine. She's just more powerful than I thought she would be at this age; a lot more powerful."

To Snow's ears, Regina's sigh is unmistakably heavy with worry, and she's not surprised when Robin picks up where his wife let the conversation lapse.

"The way Regina explained to me, magical infants and toddlers are like young snakes. The younger they are, the more potent their venom/magic. It's the way the universe ensures survival of the species. Small children, especially those in the first years of life, don't often have the higher reasoning capacity, or the self-control necessary to accurately target predators. What they lack in precision they make up for with raw untamed power. I don't know about any other magical toddlers; I only know about Norah, and as of now, she rarely ever makes a conscious choice to use magic. It's almost always a knee-jerk reaction brought on by a heightened emotional state. Regina and I are teaching her control, but like anything else that's learned, it takes time. Regina told me about the cave. Norah had no intention to hurt or endanger anyone…"

Snow shakes her head. "I was there, I saw it happen. If Regina hadn't been there, standing in the middle of that bug-infested cave, I'm quite certain Norah would've run away and hidden. They scared her badly. But I heard her tell the bad bugs to go bye-bye. She didn't want them to eat her mama. She did cause the cave in - well, I'm not sure she did that all by herself. Regina was helping her. So, it may have been the two of them combined. But, she wasn't trying to hurt anyone. The power just got away from her; that's all. She was trying to protect her mom."

Regina steps in again. "It's a bit inconvenient at times and I know it's probably more than a little bit scary thinking about a toddler who possesses enough power to bring down ancient old caves, with the flick of her wrist, but it has to be that way. Our young must be equipped with a way to defend themselves. The number of dark spells that call for the body parts of infants or small children is mind-numbing. The number of the dark spells that call specifically for the body parts of magical children is seven times higher than that of non-magical children. Norah is in danger simply because she was born. It's even worse for Zelena's children. They are even more powerful than Norah. Eliana and the baby my sister is carrying now, they are both demigods. The number of wizards, sorcerer's, witches, warlocks, werewolves, vampires, elves, fairies, and other dark entities who would give their souls to get their filthy hands on our children is innumerable. What she did the other day, Norah did out of fear and love. After it was over, she went home and cried. She tramps through the forest with Robin all the time. She loves bugs. He's teaching her not to hurt other living things; not even tiny little bugs. She was heartbroken thinking that Robin would be angry with her because she hurt the bugs in the cave. Because they often spend time in your company, we probably should have told you sooner, but Robin, Zelena, Hades, and I- we would all appreciate it greatly if you will guard this information carefully. Please do not openly discuss the magical abilities of our children; especially not in public."

Robin smiles with pride. "Unfortunately for us, the one magical ability our daughter does seem to have complete and total control over is her desire to transport magically whenever she decides she wants to be somewhere other than where she is. Until two days ago, she'd never gone anywhere dangerous. But then, she wasn't trying to. She was simply homing in on her mum because Zelena fainted, and she didn't know what else to do. Mostly, she just transports herself into bed with us at night, or downstairs directly into my arms, when she hears me come through the front door in the evening. I'm used to it now, but the first time she did it, I didn't know it was going to happen. I nearly dropped her! One time, we couldn't find her or Roland. She had taken him to the ice cream parlor to buy her an ice cream cone. Since then, we've told her, she's not allowed to leave our house without either myself or Regina to accompany her. So far, it's not a problem."

Snow chuckles. "So, she only goes places that a normal three-year-old wants to go. She hasn't taken off for India?"

"Not yet!" Robin chuckles as he steps close and drops an arm around Regina. "But if she takes a mind to go, I wouldn't put it past her to try. She has quite the determination." Jokingly, he squeezes his wife's shoulders. "I have no idea where she gets that from."

Regina elbows him in the ribs with rough affection. "Fortunately, I don't think she can leave Storybrooke. Not unless there's a magical community living in secret in India."

David nods. "Right; no magic beyond the town line. So, until she gets old enough to have accurate control, if she does turn up missing, you'll know that she isn't far from home… At least, not until she starts realm jumping."

Regina groans; in agony at the thought alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Three weeks later, Regina transports to the earthen driveway of her sister's Storybrooke farmhouse or rather, to the location where it's being razed. As the last tendrils of purple smoke evaporate from the air around her, she finds Zelena at her side in one of her customarily stylish gray and green ensembles; complete with flamboyant hat and heels.

Despite the corresponding building permits on the desk in her office, somehow, Regina is still mildly surprised to see the wrecking crew, demolishing all but the foundation of the farmhouse. She gestures "What brought this on?"

"First, I hate the place. I never liked living in that house. It's full of bad memories. Second, I can hardly expect the god of the underworld to take up residence in a rundown old farmhouse; can I?

Regina nods, silently wishing it was this easy to erase every storehouse of bad memories. "You're moving to Storybrooke? Or will you just be visiting frequently?"

Zelena's studies her sister's face. "Are you asking as my sister, or as the mayor?"

Regina shrugs. "A little of both."

Zelena's shrugs as well, trying to mirror her sister's demeanor. "Zeus said, Hades could leave the underworld if he found someone suitable to act as his replacement. We're executing a trial run. Sort of like a probationary period, I guess."

"Who for?"

"Fiona."

"The black fairy?"

Zelena nods.

"She agreed to oversee the underworld?"

"She offered actually."

"At what cost?"

Zelena laughs with a touch of derision. "Always so suspicious; aren't you?"

"Comes with the job."

Being the mayor makes you suspicious?"

Being a reformed villain makes me suspicious, Zelena. Everything comes at a cost. Nothing is free. What did Hades get out of the deal - other than his potential freedom from the underworld? Fiona didn't agree to run that place out of the goodness of her heart. You know that as well as I do."

"I guess he still owes her. She requested a second chance at corporeal life. He laughed at her. She wanted another shot at coming back here. She hasn't given up on the notion of reigning supreme in Storybrooke."

"Well, that's unsettling."

"it's been four years, Regina. You're a lot stronger now than you were when she cast the curse. Don't tell me you're afraid of her?"

Regina shakes her head. "Not what I meant at all."

"What then?"

"If he still owes her - she will collect; probably at the worst possible time. She's not just going to sweep it under the rug and forget about it, Zelena."

"You worry too much." Zelena laughs. "You don't really think she'd be dumb enough to try to put one over on the god of the underworld."

"Maybe you don't worry enough."

"Maybe you just don't have as much faith in my husband as I do."

Regina's chest rises and falls with silent laughter. "Zelena. that's not a maybe. That's a certainty. How's the baby?"

"The baby's okay. It's still rough, but not as bad as last time. At least not yet. Hades says, that Rh disease made everything worse faster last time because we didn't know about it. It seems he's right. With the treatment, things are better. Hades says he's a boy. I told him about our family tree. You know, about no woman in the bloodline giving birth to a male child for at least the last eight generations. He just shrugged and said maybe all our bloodline needed was a divine boost."

Regina shakes her head and whispers dryly, "Oh yeah, no hubris there; is there? Talk about a god complex."

"Hey, be nice. He's entitled."

Regina shrugs. "Maybe so, but next time he says something like that, remind him that the bloodline he's spitting on produced the woman he loves. Think he's really going to be happy here in Storybrooke?"

Zelena's shrugs. "He's got me. Why shouldn't he be happy?"

"I'm not trying to imply that he shouldn't be happy with you, but one woman cannot be all things to one man – or god; no matter how much she might want to be."

"Oh, come on! Every time I see him, Robin seems pretty near to bliss to me."

"Sure, but I'm not the only reason why."

Zelena teases, "Are you telling me that Robin of Locksley has a harem?"

Regina scowls and lightly thumps her older sister on the back of the head. "I'm telling you that - yes, he has me, but he also has the children, his friends, his work. People need more than just one thing. They need more than just one person. We all do. Finding happily ever after is about more than just finding true love, Zelena. What? When you're carrying the child of a god, those extra-sexy pregnancy hormones kick in early? Or am I just now noticing that your mind resides in the gutter?"

Zelena raises an eyebrow. "What do you know about extra-sexy pregnancy hormones?"

Regina smiles in response to a not too distant memory. "Start of the second trimester. You know, after the morning sickness is mostly under control. I was just starting to gain weight and I didn't even care. Well, at least not most of the time. The evil queen always has been a bit of nympho. While pregnant, I seriously think that if she didn't like Robin so much, we might have killed him."

Zelena snorts. "I could think of worse ways to g… Hey, wait!" She drops her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Am I hearing things, or did you just let slip that Robin sleeps with the evil queen?"

Regina squints in confusion. "Well, of course, he does. She is part of me. I can't exactly separate myself from her before I crawl into bed at night."

"Yes, I know that, but – I guess I've never really thought about it. I guess I just assumed that yours was the dominant personality at such moments. I mean, he married you." Suddenly in doubt, Zelena raises an eyebrow. "Didn't he."

Regina nods. "Yes, he married me. He also married her. Robin's not like most of my friends here. He doesn't often delineate between the two. In his mind, except for on very rare occasions, I am her. She is me."

"And you see it that way, too?"

"Yes. I have to. It's necessary; for my own mental stability. Otherwise, our marriage would have a very dark problem. One who weighs about 115 pounds, and likes to wear heavy eye makeup accompanied by full-length gowns and lots of jewels. It would especially become a problem in those times when she likes to emerge."

"I wasn't aware she does emerge."

"These days, only when I'm alone with Robin."

"Oh okay." Zelena's blue eyes go wide. "Wait. Is that just alone with, or is it alone with; as in alone with and naked?"

Regina laughs. Easy Greenie! Or do I need to find a hose to cool you off with?"

Zelena sighs quietly. I'm not trying to stick my nose in. Or, okay, I am. But not for the reason you think."

Regina chuckles in uncertainty. "Okay then, why are you sticking your nose in?"

"I guess I'm hoping you can help me wonder a teensy little bit less about whether or not I'm some kind of freak."

Regina squints. "You only think maybe you're a freak? Honey, trust me, we're both freaks. I don't think it's genetically possible to come from the womb of the Queen of Hearts without at least one major qualifying factor in the freak department."

"Regina, will you please be serious for a minute."

"I assure you, I am deadly serious!"

"Okay, freak. Does she emerge sometimes when you're in bed? You know, when its… beyond your control."

Regina tilts her head to one side, offering her sister a puzzled look. "Why do you need to know that?"

Zelena lowers her voice another octave. "Because I do things. Magical things. With Hades… In those moments. It's beyond my control. It's never happened with anyone else. But with him, it's always been this way. It's just - not worse - but more intense when I'm pregnant. I mean; that's weird, right? I don't want to hurt him!"

Regina can't help it. She lifts her face to the sky and laughs freely and boldly.

Zelena pinches her sister hard enough to make her jump and pull away; rubbing her arm. "Stop it! It's not funny."

Regina takes another step further beyond her sister's reach as she continues laughing. "You're right, the situation is not funny and all. What's funny, is you thinking you're going to hurt him. Zelena, he's a god. You could blow him up - multiple times - and never leave a mark. I mean, not a single scratch. And you're worried about hurting him."

Zelena scowls. "I don't care if he is nearly indestructible. He's my husband. And when I'm… You know. I sort of levitate and do some other things too. I get that you probably don't want to talk to me about Robin. But I don't have anyone else to talk to. Not about this stuff."

Sighing heavily, Regina acquiesces and tucks her arm in her sister's and steps a little further away from work crew that is tearing down her house. Close enough to drop her voice to a nearly inaudible level, she whispers. "Look, whatever you're doing, is Hades worried about it?"

Zelena's shakes her head. "Nothing I do ever seems to faze him." She raises an eyebrow as she thinks about her own statement and adds, "At least not negatively."

"Then, I don't think you have anything to worry about." Regina teases. "Not unless your head is spinning around 360° and you're orally spewing pea soup during orgasm."

With no frame of reference for the comment, Zelena's squints in confusion. "No, I've never done that."

Regina smiles. "Then, congratulations. You're no more a freak than your younger sister is."

"So, then, something does happen to you?"

"Yes. The queen does emerge in private moments. It happens fairly often. Sometimes it's beyond my control. Sometimes it's a choice. Other times, my power sort of hovers in my palms without being fully emitted. Robin says it's warm; infrequently it's even hot, but he swears I've never injured him. He seems to enjoy it. Occasionally, I've even been known to throw fireballs. Although I don't think that's ever happened without intent. If it had, I'm pretty sure Robin would let me know. He has this rule about not throwing fireballs in the house. He's put a lot of work into the place. I think he would greatly appreciate it if I refrained from burning it down; accidentally or otherwise."

Zelena thinks this over. "I don't think Hades would mind the fireballs. He emits flames from the top of his head."

"During sex?"

"Oh, no. I didn't mean then. Just in general."

"Yes, well, Hades is probably impervious to most fireballs. Robin; not so much."

"But, he's okay with the other things you mentioned? He doesn't mind the queen...uh, coming out to play?"

Regina smiles and shakes her head vehemently. "I haven't had a single complaint. Except for the fireball throwing when I'm irritated because something is distracting me while we're… I've been known to set things on fire if something interferes with that particular moment. Hence, the no fireballs in the house rule."

Zelena giggles. "We have a no interruptions policy."

"Yes, but you also have a magical four-year-old. Wait until she realizes that she can transport right into bed with you whenever she wants."

Zelena's shakes her head. "That rule especially applies to Eliana. After bedtime, she knows she's not allowed in our room. It's the one time that Hades will actually get upset with her."

Regina squints. "I don't think that's going to work with our bunch. If it's not Norah, it's Roland or the dog. Daddy and Henry are the only ones who have the presence of mind to knock before entering. But then, they are the only ones who are old enough to be bothered by the thought of interrupting something. How's my niece?"

Zelena's groans in frustration.

"Uh oh, that doesn't sound good."

"My darling daughter is being a pill, and we can't seem to figure out why. She will not talk to us about it, but, all of a sudden, she's grumpy and combative. Yesterday she growled at me and yelled at Hades. I wasn't expecting behavior like this until she was at least 11 or 12. I have no idea what's wrong with her!"

"You know, Roland went through a phase before Norah was born. He was jealous of all the attention the new baby was getting."

"Regina, Norah follows Roland around - like a puppy!"

"Yeah sure, now. She adores him – and he loves her. But he was barely six when she was born. He bonded with me easily, but he was used to being Robin's baby. Suddenly, Daddy had a new baby to love, and Roland felt a little displaced for a while."

"I don't even know if that's what's bothering her."

"Ask her, point blank. If she won't answer, tell her it's okay if that's what's wrong. Explain to her that the baby isn't just yours and Dad's. It's hers too. If that doesn't work, bring her over. Robin and I will have a chat with her." Regina gestures to the land around them. "She's getting a new home too. That's a lot of change for a tiny little goddess who is not even in kindergarten yet. You might try letting her pick the color paint or wallpaper for her bedroom. Get her involved in both the move and the pregnancy."

Zelena's shrugs. "Sure, why not? Nothing else we've tried has worked."

"So, tell me. What are you planning to replace the farmhouse with?"

Zelena's smiles and announces with certainty, "I'm thinking, palatial Greek villa."

Regina chuckles. "Of course, you are, Greenie!"


	5. Chapter 5

Fiona sighs in exasperation when yet another knock is heard upon the door to her newly acquired domain of darkness. Imbecilic quivering man-servants, and an underworld town full of tiresome insipid suck-ups; that's what Hades has left her to oversee. Yes, she asked for the position and the reason why she did so will more than make up for all this incessant ridiculousness, but at the moment, she's trying to comb her way through his meticulous records of who's who in the underworld and she would really prefer to just be left alone for a few hours.

"You may enter." She calls out plainly and then studies the woman who does, escorted by Pain and Panic, with ten seconds worth of curiosity before turning her eyes back to her reading. "Thank you, Gentleman. You are excused." Her visitor tries unsuccessfully to disguise apprehension as the servants exit silently with bowed heads.

Confused to find the new warden of the underworld seated at a Queen Anne style desk and matching chair cushioned in black satin as opposed to the obsidian thrown that used to reside in the center of the room, her newest visitor is silent for a beat before she begins. "Mistress, If I might have just a few mo –"

"Name?"

"Pardon?"

"Your name? You do have a name, don't you, dearie?"

I am Bellatrix of the House of Lestrange."

"Former realm?"

"Rowlingshire." Bellatrix studies the woman dressed head to toe in black lace and feathers accented by undertones of gold with great doubt that she has found the new ally she had hoped for.

"Alright then, Bellatrix of the Rowlingshire Realm, now that the formalities are out of the way, let me assure you, I am not in need of a second in command, a handmaiden or anyone else that may reside somewhere between the two."

Outraged that anyone would dare to suggest she might come seeking a position as lowly as that of a handmaiden, Bella takes a noticeably long moment to temper her response. "I've come to offer no such service, Mistress. I come because legend speaks of your great power. I only wish to tell you that I believe you to be strong enough to leave this miserable place if only the proper knowledge is provided. I know of a spell; a dark spell. One that may enable you to leave this dismal afterlife."

The dark fairy glances up from her reading to finally make eye contact with the crazed female before her. "I see Bella. And, if that is the case, why are you here?"

"As I said, to share the information with you."

"No dear, I mean, if you know of such a spell, why are you still here in the underworld?"

"Alas, Mistress, I have no access to magic here. I cannot cast a spell myself. But, I am confident that someone as powerful as you could."

"What, may I ask, is it that you expect in return for this information?"

"I ask only my own ticket out of here, nothing more. I have a score to settle with the one who sent me here."

"Well, I can certainly understand the motivation. Can you recite this spell for me?"

"It pains me to say no, Mistress, but I do know where it may be found."

"And where might that be?"

"In my former realm in a spellbook located in … what assurance do I have that you will honor my request, and not just simply take the information for yourself?"

"Why, none, of course, but you may have my assurance that if you do volunteer the rest of the information I will refrain from sending you someplace worse this very minute."

When Lestrange hesitates briefly, the Black fairy simply arches a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

"Yes, well alright then." The dark witch fidgets compulsively. "Riddle Manor; in the spellbook of my former master, Lord Voldemort."

Fiona folds her hands on top of the desk before her; lacing her fingers together. "And why is this Lord Voldemort your former master? Because of your own death, or his?"

"My death preceded his, but he was destroyed by the elder wand." Her lip curls in disdain for the one who wielded the wand.

Fiona perks up a bit; having heard tale of the wand and its unyielding power. "And, tell me, do you know, where is the wand now?"

"I cannot say for certain. Word has it that the wand was destroyed by its last owner."

Fiona's dark eyes go wide. "Who would dare to destroy such a coveted instrument?"

"Harry Potter." Bellatrix spits out the name as if it leaves a rotten taste in her mouth. "A snot-nosed arrogant little mudblood of a wizard."

"Mudblood?"

"He isn't a pure-blood wizard, Mistress. His mother was muggle-born. In my former world, a muggle is a human with no magical ability. The wand may be gone, but my lord kept a spellbook of various enchantments and curses he created. Had he not been obliterated by the elder wand, I'm quite certain he would've risen again."

"Because he had a spell that could restore life?"

Bellatrix nods with crazed certainty. "I know he was working on one. I saw it. I saw it with my own eyes."

"Do you know for certain that he completed it?"

Hesitation flutters across Bella's face. "My lord always made it a point to finish what he started. I suppose I can't guarantee it, but it would be worth some investigation; would it not?

"Indeed. The only question now is how to acquire his spellbook."

"I may have come up with a way to achieve that." Bellatrix offers in a forcefully modulated tone as she wills herself to stand still and not dance about with joy at the prospect of a fresh new dark life.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Granny's in Storybrooke Regina sits in the early afternoon sunlight at one of the outdoor patio tables watching her niece and daughter happily consume parfaits; peach and blueberry for Eliana, and pineapple banana for Norah. Regina sips tart chilled cranberry juice and awaits for an opening in the conversation as, between bites, the girls chatter with the kind of cranky camaraderie that is typical for young children.

Norah tells her cousin, "Guess what?"

Eliana shrugs." Dunno, what?"

"Tomorrow, I getta go school."

"Na uh, you're too little."

"Na huh! I getta go school and have lunch with Rowand!"

"So, that just means you're having lunch at the school. It doesn't mean you're going to school. Who cares about eating lunch!"

"Me, I do! He's my brother!"

"So, what's so good about brothers? You can have mine if you want him."

Regina reaches out and touches the girl's arm gently. "Eliana, you don't want your little brother or sister?"

The ginger-haired preschooler shakes her head vehemently. "He's a boy. Daddy says so. And no, I don't want him."

Norah squints in confusion. "But why? Brothers are fun. I got two of 'em?"

Eliana shrugs. "You want three?"

Regina chuckles. "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way ladies. You can't just give your brother away, Elia. But, Norah is right. She has lots of fun with her brothers. How is it that you don't want yours?"

Eliana scowls and kicks the table leg causing the umbrella overhead to sway erratically. "I don't like him." She announces plainly.

Regina bites her lower lip to keep from laughing aloud and reaches out to stabilize both the umbrella and the table. "Honey, don't kick the table leg, please. And how can you not like him? He's not even born yet. You haven't even met him. He might be very nice."

"No, he's not!" The little girl raises her voice. "He's making Mummy sick! And, Daddy likes him better than me just 'cause he's a stupid old boy!" She angrily backhands her plastic cup across the small table before crossing her arms over her chest.

Seated between the two girls Regina reaches out to catch the cup, but the cup tips over, splattering yogurt and bits of fruit in her daughter's face and hair.

Norah sits in shock; wide-eyed and silent for a long moment as Regina grabs a paper napkin and attempts to wipe away the sticky mess from her face. "I'm sorry I splashed it on you, Norah. I was trying to keep it out of your lap. Eliana, you apologize to Norah, right now." Regina demands quietly when she realizes that the other little girl is smiling with smug satisfaction."

"Why? You did it; not me?"

Surprised, but not shocked, Regina eyes the girl sternly and takes a deep breath before speaking. "Yes, I made the cup tip over, and I've apologized for that. It would not have been necessary for me to try to catch the cup if you hadn't batted it across the table, to begin with. "Your little brother or sister may be making your mom sick, but that's not the baby's fault. The baby can't help it. Just like you couldn't help it either when you had your turn to do the same thing before you were born. No matter what, I promise you, your father does not like the baby more than he likes you. He loves you both the same.

"That's dumb! I came first! They should like me better!"

This time, Regina does offer the girl a look of mild shock, but it doesn't last. It's as fleeting as the twitch of a pinched nerve. "Elia, honey it doesn't work that way. I have three kids now and I love them all. I don't have a favorite. Each one of them is special for different reasons, and I promise, you're still going to be special no matter who comes next. And you get to be the big sister which means you get to teach the little baby how to do all kinds of things.

Eliana seems to ponder this for a moment. "I do?"

"Of course, you do. When the baby gets here, it won't know how to do much of anything. Somebody will need to teach the baby how to do almost everything. She tries again, a tad more firmly. Now, you owe Norah an apology."

The angry child sits rigidly; silent and stubborn as a stone.

In response, Regina quietly picks up what's left of her niece's treat and pitches it into a nearby trash can.

"Hey, no fair! That was mine!"

* * *

At home an hour and a ½ later, after dropping a very sticky, not to mention, sulking Eliana off with Zelena, and then going home to wash yogurt out of Norah's hair, Regina puts the little girl down for a nap, and collapses with a heavy sigh onto the sofa beside her husband.

Robin studies her face momentarily, and in response to the tension he reads there, he leans forward, just far enough to catch her behind the knees and lift her feet into his lap. Removing her heels and letting them fall to the floor, he runs warm calloused hands over supple calf muscles as he asks, "Tough day with the girls, milady?"

Regina chuckles wryly. "The sour apple does not fall far from the tree!"

Robin shakes his head. "If you want to talk about it, love, I can sit here and pretend I don't already know which one you're talking about."

Regina rolls her eyes. "That child! She doesn't want the new baby. She doesn't like the new baby. She's worried that they love the new baby more, which is all fairly standard behavior, but by her own estimation, she came first, they should like her better than the new baby!"

Robin repeats; his voice devoid of humor, "The sour apple…"

I tried to make her feel better. I tried to reason with her, which was a mistake. You can't reason with a four-year-old. She had a temper tantrum and shoved her parfait across the table. I didn't want it to land bottom-up in Norah's lap, so I grabbed for it, the cup tipped over Norah got splattered. I told Eliana to apologize. She refused. I threw her treat away. She protested vehemently. I turned my back for two seconds to ask Ruby for a warm towel to wipe up the sticky mess, and by the time I turned back around, Norah was out of her chair and dumping her own cup over the top of Eliana's head. Of course, Elia howled like she'd received a fate worse than death. I turned to fuss at Norah; before I could say a word, she was telling Elia, 'Next time, just say you're sorry!' Elianna kicked her and, for a second, I thought Norah was going to cry, but before I could get between the two of them, Norah was on top of her. I had to physically pull them apart. And then, I'll be damned, 20 minutes later, in the bathroom at my office while I was trying to clean her up as best I could before taking Elianna back to her mother, Norah was sharing a stick a gum with her."

Robin chuckles. "Girls! Do you think it would cause some sort of irrevocable rift between you and Zelena if I locked the little goddess in a dungeon for a few hours."

"Robin!" Regina tries not to laugh and fails miserably. "I have enough trouble keeping such thoughts out of my head without you encouraging them.

"What? I'm just asking. I wouldn't actually do it."

"As it is, I don't think we'll see Zelena for a few weeks. Elianna wasn't seriously hurt, but let's just say she might think twice before she kicks Norah again. My sister isn't exactly livid, but she isn't happy either. And, I don't want to do it, Robin but we're going to have to talk to Norah. She may be physically stronger than Elianna, and Elianna may be the one who instigates things, but one of these days…"

"When Elianna decides to fight back with a magical assist…"

Regina nods. "If we force them apart, that's going to cause a problem with both girls, not to mention Zelena; and probably Hades too."

Robin shakes his head. "That's not the answer anyhow. Part of me wants to pat Norah on the back for not taking any guff off Elianna, for standing up for herself, but magical or not, she's going to have to learn to deal with difficult people in ways that don't involve knocking them down and sitting on top of them while she pummels them."


	6. Chapter 6

Narcissa Malfoy wakes in the night disoriented by sleep and uncertain what disturbed her. She pushes up onto her elbows and looks around; her eyes touching familiar shadows made by equally familiar objects in her luxurious bedchamber. Lucius is at her side; his sleep entirely unencumbered. What woke her? She can almost swear it was a voice in the darkness. A few years ago, she would have assumed it was Draco who called her from slumber, but he's married and settled now to that Greengrass girl. Narcissa frowns. She supposes he could've done worse, but she'll never say so. What woke me? Her mind repeats. She forces herself to be still and wait. Is one of the servants out of bed? That insufferable Auggie does have a habit of roaming the halls at night. Just when she's about to give it up in favor of returning to sleep, she hears an eerily familiar voice. She can't make out all the words. It's more the cadence, the rhythm of a uniquely personal manner of speaking that she recognizes so easily. Only, it can't be possible. It simply just isn't. Or is it?

Tossing back the duvet, she swings her feet to the floor, blindly searching for her slippers with her toes. She knows the polished marble floor beyond the Persian rug at her feet will be cold this time of night.

"Narcissa?" a quiet singsong voice calls. "Oh Cissa, wakey, wakey."

Either her mind is playing tricks on her, or someone's going to have some serious explaining to do. Leaving her bed, she dons the black satin robe that matches her negligee and deftly lights a candle before she quietly slips from the room. On silent feet, she pads to the opposite end of the second-floor gallery and stares in both extreme annoyance and perplexity at her sister's oil-based portrait. "Bella? What is the meaning of this? How dare you wake me in the middle of the night!"

Bellatrix Lestrange pouts. "Nice to see you too, Cissy."

Ignoring the greeting, Narcissa hisses, her words chilly and callous. The living do sleep; you know. If someone is playing games with your portrait enchantment…"

"No, Cissy. It's me; truly." Bellatrix whispers back her merriment fleetingly dampened.

"But how?" Narcissa steps closer to the painting; staring intently.

"Stolen magic." Bellatrix hisses with renewed glee as she claps her palms together three times in rapid succession before thrumming her elongated fingertips; the left against the right.

Narcissa arches one perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Stolen magic? What magic? I know of no spell or enchantment that allows the dead to communicate with the living through their own portraits after their demise or at least none that allow for conversations of any real substance. Explain yourself, before I decide to have your portrait burned!"

"Relax sister, it's the standard portrait enchantment, mixed with the dark fairy dust, mixed with a little mirror magic."

"Mirror magic? What? Like the Mirror of Erised?"

"Not exactly. We borrowed this particular enchantment from the Evil Queen of the Enchanted Forest Realm."

"We? We who?"

"Me and the Black Fairy. She's running things here in the underworld… Oh, for misery's sake! Narcissa, none of that matters! Now stop asking questions and listen to me. I don't have much time. The veil won't stay parted for long."

"You said you stole magic and then you said you borrowed. Which is it? And who is this evil queen person? If she's going to come knocking on my door, I'd like to be prepared."

"Technically speaking, Fiona, the Black Fairy, borrowed without asking but I sincerely doubt the queen will come looking for you. As I said, she lives in an entirely different realm. And, do tie your sash, Cissa. I'm not Lucius. I have no need to see this much of your chest." Bellatrix smirks and giggles quietly as her sister cinches the sash on her robe severely tight and then places her hands on her hips.

"Better?"

"Much. Now come closer. I have a favor to ask."

"A favor? Oh, for the love of death eaters, Bella! You're dead! What could you possibly need?"

* * *

Six weeks later…

Narcissa awaits her departed sister's untimely visit by candlelight across the gallery from the same portrait at precisely 3:30 AM.

At 3:52, she's leaning against the opposite wall with a decided lack of patience; on the verge of declaring Bella a no-show when she finally glides into view meandering slowly as if she hasn't a single worry.

"Oh, goodie gumdrops!" She giggles with barely contained excitement. "You're here!"

Bitterly, Narcissa glares. "You're late Bellatrix. Some of us don't have all of eternity."

"Oh pooh! Don't be such a bore, Cissa. Time moves differently here it's not so easy to gauge the difference. Do you get it? Please say you got it!"

Narcissa sighs in disgust. "Of course, I got it. No small feat by the way. If this works, you owe me; big time! I'm talking huge, Bella. You have no idea the shambles Riddle Manor is in. It's boarded up and in utter disgrace. Disloyal witches and wizards have taken to vandalizing the place. It's falling down despite the fact that Lucius says someone from the ministry is always watching. You have no idea how hard it was to sneak in there, and once that was done it still took me another two hours to find this. Then, I had to sneak back out again."

"Narcissa, please, time is of the essence! Read it to me! If it works, you can yell at me for as long as you like when next we meet, and I promise I won't complain. Not a single peep."

Still, she pauses, with half a mind to walk away. Lucius would not be happy to know what she's up to. For a moment, she watches her sister silently plead and simper. When at last, she straightens to her full height and approaches the painting. coming near enough to whisper, Bellatrix bounces excitedly and fidgets like some eager lunatic child. "You better listen closely, Bella, because I'm only reading this once."

"I'm listening. I'm all ears. Read it! Read it!"

Gently blowing dust away from tattered pages, Narcissa leafs through Lord Voldemort's personal and once-coveted spellbook until she reaches the proper entry and in a hushed, but concise, even, tone begins to recite...

 _Rise of the Phoenix: A Resurrection Serum_

6 drams of chilled unicorn blood (precisely 9° C at time of inclusion)  
9 drops of vitreous fluid from the left eye of a newly delivered demigod/goddess.  
3 grams of dried lightly salted sea-slug  
½ gram of wolf's bane

Bring to a hard, rolling boil; maintain constantly for precisely 16 hours.

Should be ingested orally while warm, not hot, upon the first night of a new moon, immediately following the freshly expelled final breath of one tender-aged mortal witch or wizard (Gender-specific and to be inhaled directly from the source)

The moment she's finished reading, Narcissa snaps the book shut.

"Wait, wait! Was that two or three grams of sea-slug?

Narcissa shrugs and extinguishes her candle as she walks away, putting an abrupt and definite end to their visit by whispering coolly over her shoulder. "Good night, Bellatrix."


	7. Chapter 7

"Come on, beautiful. It's time you were getting ready." Hades offers his wife and encouraging smile.

"Ready for what?" Zelena's stretches lazily on her chaise and rubs the small swollen bump that is her abdomen.

"You're meeting Regina. You two are going for a short walk today."

Zelena's stares out at the sunshine while white curtains as sheer as gossamer flutter in the light breeze coming through the open balcony doors. "I'd rather just stay here in our glorious new villa and veg out, darling."

"Yes, I know you would. I know our little guy is starting to give you some trouble, but a little light exercise will be good for both of you. If you give him something to do for a little while it might tire him out a little bit. If he naps in there…" Hades perches on the edge of the pale green chaise upholstered in the finest of silks and places a warm affectionate hand on her belly, "he might give you a bit of a break."

"Can't you come with me?"

"I'd love to, gorgeous. But I need to drop in, while she's not expecting me, and check on Fiona; make sure she's behaving herself. I don't want you out there by yourself. You need to go now, while it's warm enough. Later this evening, it will be too cold out. I don't want you getting sick. Our little prince needs you well, and so do Eliana and I. I've fixed up one of Regina's mirrors so that she can stay with you, but get in touch with me if you need me. She's meeting you at Robin's place. He's going to watch our girls. I'll get them ready to go for you."

"Where are they anyway? We usually hear them laughing, fighting or both."

"They're upstairs playing hide-and-seek in the new empty attic."

Zelena's squints in confusion. "They're playing hide-and-seek in a big empty room? There Is no furniture up there yet, nothing in storage, nothing for them to hide under, behind, or inside of."

"I'm pretty sure they are using magic. It's good practice for them, and they're having fun. Come on." He prods gently and offers her a warm kiss. "Get up. Tell me what you want to wear, I'll get it out of your closet for you before I go fetch the little imps."

* * *

In the late summer breeze, Regina leans casually against the frame of the open back door of the Lucky Feather Tavern. She stands there simply enjoying the sight of him as Robin uncrates supplies and restocks the shelves of the back room before he opens for the day. As he works, with a white bar towel slung over his left shoulder, he mutters quietly in and out of tune; singing along with a song on the jukebox for no one's entertainment but his own.

 _I can't count the times  
I almost said what's on my mind  
But I didn't_

 _Just the other day  
I wrote down all the things I'd say  
But I couldn't  
I just couldn't_

 _Lady, I know that you've been wondering._

 _So here goes nothin'…_

He stops short and turns away from his work, having sensed someone's presence and realizes that he is, indeed, being watched.

He offers her a somewhat sheepish version of his sexy lopsided smile.

"Well, don't stop now. You have a captive audience."

Robin abandons the napkin holder he was filling in favor of crossing the room to gently pull her into his warm embrace."

"Hello there, Madame Mayor." He drops a light kiss on her lips and, no sooner than he has her close, he steps back just far enough to silently assess her ensemble of black knee-length yoga tights, running shoes, and a black sports bra underneath a bright red oversized tunic then hangs loosely; leaving one slender shoulder exposed for is kiss and drapes to her mid-thigh."

She tilts her head to one side and studies his expression briefly before asking. "What?"

He shakes his head and shrugs. "I don't think I have ever seen you dressed this way outside the house."

"You already know I told Hades I would accompany Zelena on a short walk today, right?" When he nods, she continues. "It's too pretty to stay inside and jog in place going nowhere on a treadmill. Besides, she's seen me do that a few times. She says it would make her feel like a hamster spinning in one of those cursed little wheels. So, I thought we could take a couple laps around the block. After that she can magically pop herself over to Granny's for some of that pea salad she's been craving lately."

Robin wrinkles his nose in obvious disdain. "Pea salad."

Regina nods. I'm not usually a fan either, but Granny's version is absolutely decadent; peas, mayonnaise, sour cream, cheese, and bacon, boiled egg, and a spoonful of diced bread and butter pickles. It's loaded with fat and cholesterol. There's absolutely nothing healthy about it, which is usually why we both avoid it. But, she's pregnant and the first half of this pregnancy has been fairly tame. She's starting to have some significant issues with it. Hades thought a bit of light exercise might do both mother and child some good. Either that, or she's secretly driving him crazy and he wants her out of the house for just a little while. But, if that's the case, he would never say so."

"He does dote on her, doesn't he?"

She nods again. "He's worse than you were when I was pregnant with Norah. But then, maybe he has reason to be. I don't recall being overly worried that having Norah might kill me."

"Ahh… one of the perks of not being married to a god?" He quips in jest

She chuckles quietly and steals a quick but affectionate kiss. "Please, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I'd take you any day over her slight-statured, overly polished god. He's every bit as buttoned up and squared away as Rumple. Hey… Why have I never made that connection before? It's rather obvious."

Robin scowls as if he can't rid himself of something that tastes putrid "Your sister has a thing for Rumple."

Regina nods. "Well, she did. These days, I don't think she's capable of seeing anyone except for Hades. I think every other man in Storybrooke has become invisible to her."

"That's probably a good thi…" He stops short when their daughter runs in through the open doorway ten steps ahead of her aunt and cousin, calling out happily. "Daddy!"

Smiling brightly, Robin scoops her up and hugs her tightly. "Hey there, my little firefly!"

"Daddy, I starving. Can you pretty, pretty, please make me grilled cheese. Auntie Zena doesn't do it right."

Zelena laughs wryly. "I tried. I mean…" She wrinkles her nose as she lifts one shoulder in a shrug. "What's so special about a grilled cheese sandwich. It's just bread and cheese. But no, she says I do it wrong."

Regina drapes an arm around her sister's shoulders. "Don't feel bad. It's not just you. She won't eat my grilled cheese either. She won't even eat the one that's made at Granny's, and Roland loves those. It has to be Robin's. That's the only one she will touch. And he won't share the recipe."

Robin smiles, his blue eyes twinkling merrily as he carries his daughter over and turns on the grill to preheat. "Why does it matter? No one else needs to make Norah's grilled cheese. That's my job; right Norah?"

The fair-skinned blue-eyed three-year-old nods exuberantly; causing her short dark curls to bounce. "Right, Daddy's job."

Robin kisses the top of her head before asking. "Eliana, do you want…" He falls silent, watching in utter confusion as the metal surface of the grill suddenly begins to glisten and slowly frosts over as a dark shadow suddenly invades the stone walls that surround them.

"Mummy, I'm cold." The four-year-old announces in a voice suddenly laden with uncertainty.

"What the hell?" Robin watches in total astonishment as goose flesh springs up on his little girl's bare arms.

"I think that about covers it." His wife answers in an eerily calm voice. When he looks her way, she points out through the open door at the dark specter of life gliding their way.

Without conscious thought he passes Norah to Regina and, moving quickly, he attempts to slam the back door and, for the effort, he's the first to be assaulted by a hideous flying phantom that appears to be nothing more than a grotesque skeleton with a black gaping hole for a mouth shrouded in a gauzy black hooded cloak. Robin thinks of the grim reaper and hits his knees, shivering violently as in the last trace of warmth is slowly stolen from his body. In his mind, the sound of his own agonizing sorrow, the sound of his own uncontrollable sobbing is replayed for him as he once again experiences that first true realization that he will never see his Marian again in this life. Not the first mind-numbing moment that he heard of her death, but days later when it finally hit him that he would never see her or hear her sweet voice again because she'd gone away; gone away to a place she couldn't come back from. And the next moment he's standing on the Storybrooke town line saying goodbye to Regina and wishing he had another choice – any other choice.

He can hear Regina calling his name. She sounds so far away, but he can sense her fear and grieves over the realization that, in his paralytic state, he has no power to stop it; no power to comfort her. The girls wail in the distance. Someone curses, but he's not sure who and then he hears the sweetest of all sounds, loud and clear, his terrified child screaming, "You go away! You leave my daddy alone!" and in his mind, he's holding her tiny newborn body in his arms and kissing her exhausted mother as tears of pure unadulterated joy course down his cheeks.

The unbearable pressure of the icy grip around his heart eases slightly and the deafening roar of his own heartbeat quiets marginally and he can hear Zelena screaming. "Regina, it's not working."

Suddenly, the hideous thing hovering over him is gone. For one sweet moment there is relief - and then a fresh new terror invades as he realizes he doesn't hear the girls crying anymore. He struggles to sit up, aware for the first time that he's no longer on his knees, but flat on his back. When did that happen?

The thing has moved on to a new victim. It hovers an inch away from Zelena's face; almost close enough to kiss and the thought turns his stomach as it appears to somehow drain her power right out of her face.

Before he has time to respond, before he even knows what's happening, he feels his wife roughly yank him into a semi-upright position. With her arms under his, and her hands locked together against the solid wall of his chest, she drags him backward moving surprisingly fast for someone half his size and dumps him, unceremoniously, in a corner of the room. Instantly, Norah's small trembling body is pressed against his chest. Her wet blue eyes staring into his. Then Regina is back, and he feels more weight and it takes him ½ a second wrap an arm around Eliana and pray he has the strength to hold on as the frightened girl screams and fights to be free; calling for her mother.

His blurry vision begins to clear and, the ringing in his ears becomes less shrill. Still shivering violently, he struggles into to a sitting position and clings to the girls as he watches his wife confront the monstrosity head on.

"Get away from my sister! She's mine; you rotting excuse for a demon!"

Zelena shivers and her teeth chatter as she sobs uncontrollably, in the same state that Robin had been in only a moment before, pleading with someone that can only be seen in her own mind.

When Regina hits the hovering thing with a fierce blast of dark magic, it releases Zelena and turns its sinister attention her way. She instantly screams in response to her own private terror.

Robin wants to go to her. He tries. He tries to leave the girls, but he can't. He can't leave his terrified daughter alone in the corner of this room. Not with that thing in here.

Zelena seems to recover faster, and Robin assumes she was assaulted for a lesser amount of time until he sees flames suddenly erupt from her head and he doesn't understand the bizarre occurrence at all until a mind-boggling, but phenomenal, dazzling white light begins to pulsate and spread outward, radiating from her inhabited belly. The baby is protecting itself; literally wrapping itself in a magical protective bubble that also encircles its mother.

Robin finds his voice, but he knows it's no use. He knows that he could scream until his throat is raw and he's rendered mute. Regina is too far away. Even in the confines of this small room, she can't hear him as she cries out in agony, "Daddy, Henry! No!"

He doesn't realize that Zelena has moved, that she has dragged herself to his side until she touches his arm; reaching for the girls. Elianna slides away immediately, straight into her mother's arms and the white glowing protective bubble that her unborn sibling emits instantly wraps around her.

Zelena reaches for Norah as well and Robin has to physically force his hysterical daughter into her care. "Let go, baby. I'll be right back. Stay here. You're safe. I need to help Mama."

She wails pitifully, but Zelena clings to her. "Go, I've got her."

Robin sneaks; he crawls on his belly until he's close enough to touch her. The horrid thing that has her in its unrelenting grip is so focused on tormenting its prey with the Evil Queen's darkest memories that it doesn't even notice when Robin clasps her outstretched hand in his own. He knows, by his own experience, that she can't move and that if she can hear him at all, it's only just barely, but he does see the slightest of movement in her eyes. She's aware of his nearness, on some minute level, and he greedily uses that to his advantage. He points toward Zelena and the inexplicably dazzling white bubble of light wrapped around her body and prays that his wife still grasps enough of her mental acuity to understand the message he's silently trying to convey.

It takes her three agonizingly long seconds, but the message does slide home and the waning stream of dark magic that barely trickles from her free hand suddenly hiccups and bubbles before she locks eyes with him and a blinding, reverberating, flash of pure white power explodes from the spot directly above her heart and drives the hideous beast back, up, and away. The thing hovers and screeches in ear-splitting agony; howling as if it's been set on fire, and Robin tries to pull Regina to safety.

It takes her several long seconds to resist his efforts, but once she can, she does. Slowly, staggering drunkenly she rises on unsteady but determined legs and banishes the screeching, tormented, dark, thing from the room, driving it out, chasing after it in slow motion as it goes.

"And, don't come back, you evil bastard! She yells hoarsely as she staggers over the threshold and her legs crumple and collapse beneath the weight of her exhausted body.

Regina passes out with Robin there to break her fall.


	8. Chapter 8

The Jolly Roger docks in Storybrooke and Emma, Hook, Henry, and Roland, step onto dry land laughing, talking, and generally in good spirits. Two feet from the dock each of them stumble in response to the unexpected guttural shockwave that rolls through the earth due to the sudden blinding white flash of magical light in the sky two blocks away. Pausing only long enough to exchange looks of concern, the four of them instinctual choose to run toward what they already know is very likely danger.

"What is that?" Nine-year-old Rolland points at the fleeing dark apparition as it glides up and away, screeching and howling in pain. They each turn their eyes to the late summer sky and break into dead runs as Emma squints and assures them all, "Nothing good."

Down to the end of the block. Down pass the hardware store at the corner of Willow and Pine. They come to a stop at the front door of the Lucky Feather. When they find the front door locked, and the closed sign clearly on display in the front window, Hook calls over his shoulder as he sprints around the side of the building, "Back door!"

Granny, Snow, David, and Belle each coming from their own direction, join them as they come to a halt just in time to see Regina collapse and nearly take an obviously weak Robin down with her.

"Mom, Regina!" Henry and Roland shout as they run double-time to her side.

Robin slowly sinks to his knees, cradling her and brushing tears from her face.

"What the hell was that thing, mate?" Hook queries.

Robin shakes his head completely at a loss as he looks over his shoulder toward the back door to find his frightened daughter with her tear-stained face and her trembling lips calling after him.

"Daddy?"

"It's okay, baby." He croaks hoarsely and motions for her.

Peering out cautiously, the child inspects her surroundings before timidly stepping over the threshold. When nothing dark and malignant snatches her from the ground, she runs as fast as her short little legs will carry her, straight to his side.

She searches Robin's face before turning her gaze to her mother's. "Mama?"

Robin gently squeezes one of her small hands when it becomes apparent that fresh tears are going to flow out of concern for Regina's well-being. "It's alright, Norah. "Mama's okay. She's just passed out."

When Norah squints in confusion, he simplifies things for her, "Mama's sleeping. That's all. She'll wake in a bit."

Norah looks to her brothers. "Bad monster. Ugly monster."

Henry picks up his little sister and rubs her back. "It's okay now, Norah Bea. The ugly monster flew away."

"Hurt Daddy, Mama, and Auntie Zena."

"Oh God; Zelena!" Robin worries aloud.

"It's okay, I'm right here." The redhead calls, stepping out into the sunlight with her whimpering daughter held tightly in her arms. She nods in response to the question burning in his eyes. "It's okay. We're alright." She tries to lighten the seriousness of the mood and quips breathlessly, "A bit shaken really, but not stirred."

"And the baby?"

Smiling, Zelena touches her own abdomen. He's a rock star. He protected all of us."

"Good thing he did. I think he officially deserves knighthood. If he hadn't shown us how to deal with that… that bloody thing. Robin filters, curbing his initial choice of language for the sake of the children. Still, I'd like to get you all to the hospital; just to be checked out."

"And, you too."

"I'm fine."

Zelena laughs wryly. "No, you're not. I felt what that thing did to me. And it had you for twice as long. If Regina were awake, she'd insist that you get yourself looked at right along with the rest of us."

Emma kneels before him offering the healing touch of her magic.

Robin shrugs. "You can try, but I don't think that's going to help. I don't think she's physically injured; just drained. At first, she hit that thing with dark magic, but it seemed to crave it, feed off it. It pulled it right out of her; devoured it. I think the well was nearly dry when she switched gears. I've never seen Regina release that much light at once. She's just spent. She needs rest. I think her body just shut down; especially given the simultaneous emotional and mental anguish. Whatever that thing is, it obviously paralyzes its victims by forcing them to relive the worst pain of their lives. When it had me… I… I lost Marian all over again, and Regina too." He glances toward his sister-in-law, seeking some kind of confirmation.

Zelena nods. "Watching my mother abandon me for the second time around wasn't any better than the first time and neither was Regina telling me that she'd had enough, and I should just leave and go back to Oz because she wanted nothing more to do with me."

"With her access to the queen's storehouse of dark memories…" Robin halts in his conjecture.

"He's right," David says. "Whatever that thing was, if it feeds off people's darkness, off their worst heartaches – Emma you can keep trying if you like – but Regina is likely to be out for days."

"Don't go betting on that, shepherd." Regina hisses thickly as her eyes flutter and close again momentarily before opening fully. She tries to sit up. "You will lose."

"Mama!" Norah cheers with a brilliant smile as Robin caresses his wife's face.

Regina smiles at him as Henry and Roland kneel beside her.

She hugs all three of her children and reaches for her girl. "Let me look at you. Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" She runs tender hands over the girl's body; head to foot.

Norah shakes her head vehemently. "I okay. Mama made ugly monster go away."

Regina kisses her forehead as she makes eye contact with her sister.

Zelena gives a casual little wave. "Still here."

"Good to know. What is that thing? And why is it after you?"

"Oh, right away. It must be after me, right?"

Regina coughs deeply. "Don't take offense, Greenie. It's the only thing that makes any sense to me; that's all. She threads the fingers of her left hand through Robin's. "It only hit Robin first because he was in its path. Once he was down, you were its first stop. It only came after me when I tried to stop its assault on you."

Swallowing some of the bite in her words, Zelena's shrugs. "Well, I don't know. I haven't a clue. I've never seen that thing, or anything like it, in my life. I would've remembered incurring the wrath of something that hideous."

Belle steps forward. "Can you describe it?"

Regina nods. It was like a wraith; but…not. Possibly akin to one. Sort of a cloaked and skeletonized grim reaper with no mouth, just in a gaping black hole for most of its face."

"And it feeds off an individual's darkness?"

"Actually, what it feeds off of is pain and fear. Most people do go a little dark when they experience those sensations." She sighs heavily. "Obviously, some of us more than others. It somehow makes the object of its attention re-experience their most painful moments."

"But, I do think Regina's wrong about one thing." Robin offers gently, honestly. "I don't think it stopped simply because I was down. I don't think it had any intention of stopping until I was dead. It literally sucked the warmth out of my body; right out of my soul. It stopped when I heard Norah scream, 'You get away from my daddy. You leave him alone.' Then I started remembering the day she was born and how happy we were. How amazing that felt. I think those good memories and the feelings attached to them somehow repulsed the thing. It had no more use for me. Or at the very least, less interest in me. It moved on."

Norah smiles at her father. "I did good?"

Robin reaches over as Regina hugs her tightly and he affectionately squeezes the toe of one of her sneakers. "You did something really beautiful sweetheart. Daddy is so proud of you."

Regina nods as she runs her fingers through her daughter's hair with warmth. "That does make sense. I didn't defeat it. I didn't kill it. I just chased it off, but I wasn't able to do that until I saw white power emanating from… Well, from Zelena's baby. When I decided to tap into my own and started thinking the thoughts that I use to trigger light magic, it fled. And, tapping into those thoughts was not easy under those circumstances. You're paralyzed. You're freezing. It's dark. It's desolate. Everything's black."

Zelena nods. "I felt like my heart was shattering into 1000 pieces."

Emma hesitantly and comically raises one hand. "Did I hear that right? The unborn child of the Wicked Witch and Lord Death has white magic? I'd be curious to know how that's going to go over with Dad?"

Zelena's scoffs snidely as Regina rolls her eyes and, using forced patience, she softly declares, "Evil isn't born, Emma. It's made. You've been in this town too many years not to know that."

Robin joins her as Regina rises to her feet, her mind ready for action, but her body isn't ready to comply with that desire. She sways and staggers; stepping back into Robin's embrace. "Well, we have to do something about it. We have to figure out how to get rid of it, not just chase it off. We have to do something now before it comes back; before it attacks again. I can't go another three rounds with that thing today. Whatever it is, it's not in town on vacation. It's not here to enjoy the sights. We need a better game plan, and we need to come up with one fast before it does kill someone."

Belle volunteers. "I'll hit the books. While I'm doing that, you all need to go to the ER and get checked out."

* * *

Six hours later, the town librarian knocks on the mayor's front door.

Belle smiles politely when Regina's father opens the door and welcomes her in without so much as a single question. "Ms. French, good evening."

"It's just Belle, if you please, Your Majesty."

"Belle, it is then; but only if you will call me Henry. Your Majesty makes me sound like some pompous, unpleasant old royal."

She laughs. "As you wish, Henry."

"Good, now will you join us for pizza?"

Her eyes widen in surprise. "Oh, I don't want to intrude. I've only come bearing information."

"Yes, I figured as much. Regina told me to expect you. She, Robin, and Miss Norah Bea are upstairs sleeping. They have been since shortly after they were declared fit to leave the hospital, but the boys and I have more than enough pizza to share if you'd care for a slice or two. Come in. Take off your coat, and tell us what you've learned."

Henry pauses long enough to help her out of her coat and then leads her to the kitchen table. "Are you a purist or a hedonist?"

Belle purses her lips and raises an eyebrow comically, not understanding the reason for the question.

Smiling, Roland rises from his chair and fills in the blank for her as he pulls out the empty chair next to his own. "Hi, Ms. Belle. Do you want plain cheese pizza or super deluxe with everything on it?"

"Ahh, well now the question makes sense. If those are my two options, I'm proud to say you'll have to consider me a hedonist."

The king's namesake smiles and teases his stepbrother. "He's weird. Even Mom likes more than just plain cheese. He's the only purist in this house; at least when it comes to pizza. Can you tell us what that awful thing was?"

"I can."

Before she can say more, Henry steps to her side with a chilled glass of Riesling and Regina enters the room courtesy of the kitchen stairway: knotting her robe's sash at the waist. Her wet hair and the few noticeable water droplets still on visible flesh indicate a very recent shower.

"Hello, Belle. Don't stop on my account. We're all ears."

"Well then, according to what my research turned up, the dark – being – at the tavern this afternoon is called a …" She pauses when Robin comes into view on the staircase a step behind his wife and wraps an arm around her waist. Hello, Robin… " She smiles with just a tad of mild unrest when she realizes that his equally wet hair and fresh t-shirt and jeans would seem to indicate that his wife may not have been alone in the shower. Forcibly shoving what is none of her business from her mind, Belle clears her throat and plows on with renewed focus. "It's called a Dementor. They are the merciless guards of a prison called Azkaban in the Rowlingshire Realm. They keep the prison's inmates, who are usually dark wizards or witches, under control by performing what's known as the Dementor's Kiss on anyone who dares step out of line."

Despite just rising from a very long nap, the news makes Regina want to turn around, march back up the stairs, and return to bed to sleep for another five hours.

She sighs wearily. "Trust me the Dementor's Kiss is more than effective. If they have long-term inmates, they are all either model prisoners, or they are all nuttier than a macadamia tree. Prolonged exposure to that sort of thing would drive even the strongest mentally sound person completely, and irrevocably, out of their mind. But, why is it here? Is it chasing an escaped convict? Is there someone new in Storybrooke?"

"I haven't noticed anyone new in town. I don't have to tell you how quickly people around here would notice that sort of thing. There wasn't a lot of information. Just what I've given you so far, and one footnote. If you want to know more, I think you're going to have to go to Rowlingshire."

"Belle, some realms are tiny; the size of a postage stamp. Others are expansive. Before I go anywhere, I need to be armed with a tad more information than just simply, go there and find the Dementors of Askaban Prison."

"Yes, that's where the footnote came in. It said that people seeking information should visit the Ministry of Magic and ask to speak with an auror by the name of Mr. Harry Potter."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : To all my friendly but silent lurking readers. I know you're out there. I watch the traffic graphs. I love writing this story, but even when you love what you do, it's still work; and nobody works for free!

The way this goes is, I write a chapter and, if you like the story, if you want more, it's up to you to feed the muse. So, take five, get in touch, share your thoughts, make requests. Come on people, talk to me!


	9. Chapter 9

It's nearly 10:00 PM when Robin kills the engine of Regina's Mercedes. When she opens the passenger door and puts one foot out onto the pavement, he stops her with a gentle hand on her forearm.

Curious, she turns his way with an arched eyebrow and, after studying his tired face for less than three seconds, she reverses direction, turns in the seat, closes the car door and lays her head on his shoulder. "Hell of a day."

He nods quietly and drops an arm around her shoulders, pulling her even closer. When he sighs heavily, she offers, "I would have driven. I know you learned because you didn't want me to always have to be the one to do it, but I also know you don't really like it. You prefer to walk when the option is there."

"I didn't want you walking or bringing yourself here magically. You need the rest. And anyway, that's not what it's about. I didn't mind driving. I'm glad when there's something I can do to help out, Regina."

The dome light snaps off, and they sit in the darkened car silently for a moment.

She places a hand softly against his chest over his heart and says, barely above a whisper, "I'm not the only one who needs a rest. You don't need to worry. You help every day; just being here. And, Robin, I know I'm not the only one who went through hell today. I know you're thinking about her; missing her. I know Marian's on your mind, and it's okay."

"No." he shakes his head and then changes his mind and nods. "Well, yes, but that's not it either."

Reaching up, she snaps the dome light back on and lifts her head to study his face again for another long moment. "What then." She kisses his cheek and waits.

"Marian isn't the only person I thought about losing today. He tightens his embrace. "Leaving you for New York five years ago. I can't imagine… I just don't want to." He shakes his head again, barely in control of his emotions, and breathes heavily under the weight of old grief.

"I'm here, Robin. I'm right here."

He nods gently and rubs her shoulder, drawing as much comfort from the feel of her in his arms as he offers. Changing the subject, because he has to, he asks, "Are you sure you want do this, love?" He points to the house beyond the windshield.

Regina sighs and chuckles dryly. "No. No, Robin, this is not what I want to do at all. What I want to do, is turn this car around, go back home, get back into bed, and make love again… But that ain't happening. At least not right this minute."

He laughs softly, and nods, making light of the situation. "Norah is in our bed."

She laughs. "That's not why, and you know it. The shower works just fine."

Well, that's good, because I think Norah might be in our bed, right between the two of us, for quite a bit."

Regina nods. "Today scared her out of her tree."

"Poor little firefly."

Regina brushes a stray piece of lint out of his beard. "She's not nearly as fragile as that nickname makes her sound. She's sweet but tough – like her daddy."

He turns his head and kisses the top of hers. "Daddy doesn't feel so tough. I feel old, Regina. Old and wrung out."

"Well then…" She forces herself to pull free of the comfort of his warm embrace and open her car door once again. "We have to go do this thing because I just can't make another deal with Gold. Robin, I'm really starting to resent having to tap dance around him every time something important needs doing."

"So, we're going to go talk to Hades instead?" He questions doubtfully.

She nods with certainty. "Yes, we are. Hades has a vested interest in helping us. So, like I said, we're going go do this thing, but as soon as it's done, you and me, we're going to get back in that shower – so I can convince you otherwise."

Shaking his head with a smile, Robin opens the driver's side door and steps out of the Mercedes. They round the side of the house and, halfway up the front walk, he holds out a hand and halts her progress when he realizes that the front door is wide open, and an eerie flickering light shines from within.

Unwilling to step into the breach blindly, Robin forgoes the main entrance and tugs his wife along gently as he steps to a window and peers through open Empire-style drapes with a gauzy sheer under panel.

Regina stretches up on tiptoe and peers over his shoulder. Utterly astounded, she silently stares at the sight before them for a long moment before asking in a whisper, "Who is he throwing fireballs at? Is he seeing things? Is he losing it?"

Robin watches quietly for another moment before he shakes his head with certainty. "That's not what's happening here. He's working out some anger issues. He's just doing it in a very – godly – fashion."

She squints and continues to whisper. "Who's he mad at?"

"My guess would be, himself." When Regina raises a doubtful eyebrow, Robin continues. "His wife and unborn child were attacked today by an evil bastard for who knows what reason. His toddler saw the whole thing happen, and he wasn't there. He didn't do anything to stop it."

Regina sorts through his words intuitively and then gently spins him around and backs him up against the side of the house. Getting in his face, she hisses quietly, "You listen to me right now, forest boy!" First of all, that's something you would do - metaphorically throw fireballs at yourself, if you could, of course. It was not your fault! And you did do something about it! You helped me! I wouldn't have gotten up off that floor if you hadn't been there to reach out and take my hand. You called me back from hell! You did that, Robin! So, stop this. You stop this, right now! Furthermore, that's not Hades. He's a god! I've met quite a few of them now. As far as I can tell, none of them have a penchant for blaming themselves for things; not even when they are at fault. If he's mad at anyone, it's probably the evil bastard."

Robin shrugs. "Okay, all good points."

Regina nods brusquely. "Okay then! Now… You wait here!"

As she steps away he objects. "Lady, where do you think you're going."

"I'm going in there. You are staying here - until it is safe for you to do otherwise."

"And, why should I do that?"

"Because if he throws a fireball at you, you cannot magically disappear on your own! That's why! So, stay!"

Robin scowls and starts to follow until she turns and hisses in frustration.

Angry, he whispers with hostility, "If you go in there and get hurt, I'm going to be really very seriously put out with you, milady!"

"Yeah, well, I can handle that. It's not like it would be the first time that's ever happened. Just stay!" She steps over the threshold and then two steps to her left before she disappears from his sight without giving him the chance to argue further and he groans aloud; severely displeased with the situation.

Almost immediately he detects a change in the room when a soft dazzling white light begins to mix and mingle with the eerie blue glow that the dark god is creating.

Robin hears, "Hey, What the…" and then Hades roars, "Regina!"

Robin steps toward the door, only to jump back an instant later when a massive blue ball of flame torpedoes out the door, down the front walk, and halfway across the street before it finally extinguishes itself and disappears from view; leaving a faint glowing crystalline blue trail in its wake.

"What are you doing here?" Hades demands to know. "And why did you ruin all my glorious destruction?"

Regina laughs callously, "You call this glorious?"

"Yes, I do!" He fires back; daring her to challenge him. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll get out of here, now!"

"Oh okay!" She snaps sarcastically. "I guess I'm just wondering what my sister is going to have to say about this when she realizes that her brand new Greek palace lays in ruins! A palace that I might add, she built with you in mind. I'm pretty sure that if you stop behaving like an uber-powerful petulant five-year-old for two seconds and think about it, you'll realize that all your glorious destruction would break her heart. But, hey, what do I know? Carry on. Go right ahead and firebomb the place until there's nothing left but ash!"

Robin waits for some sign that all is clear.

Hades roars again, this time in something closer to anguish than fury and another massive blue fireball vacates the house, just a fraction slower than its predecessor.

Inside, from her place just two steps to the left of the door, with her hands on her hips, Regina watches in utter disdain. It takes a full five seconds for the blazing blue inferno that emanates from her brother-in-law's head to show any sign of control, and once it does, it takes another twenty seconds before the flames smolder and die out completely.

"Feel better?" She asks archly.

"No, not especially. I wasn't trying to ruin all her hard work… I just… I didn't think anybody was going to be here."

Assuming that's as close as a god gets to an apology, Regina shrugs. "It's not me you'll be needing to explain things to. And, fortunately for you, you haven't destroyed anything that can't be mended - yet. Can Robin come inside now, or do you want to reduce a few more things to cinders, first?"

By way of answer, Hades silently tilts his head in a fashion that is supposed to be inviting, although in his present state of mind, the invitation is still somewhat worrisome. Eyeing him with concern, Regina steps to the right and leans back far enough to nod; granting Robin entry.

Moving slowly, cautiously, Robin steps over the threshold and looks around, his eyes going wide in response to the scorched and smoldering detritus of what was a sparkling brand-new home only yesterday. "Man, do yourself a favor, take up boxing!"

Hades glares at him, and Robin holds his hands out in a defensive posture. "Hey man, it's a healthy expression of violence. Or, at least it's healthier than this." He gestures to the scorched and stinking room around him. "And, it would be a whole lot less likely to end your marriage. Regina would probably set me on fire if I did this to our house."

Sighing, Hades simply snaps his fingers and every last trace of fire damage vanishes from sight and the room is restored to its former glory instantly; although the scent of scorched plaster and furnishings does linger heavily. "Did you two have a reason dropping in unannounced, other than to give me grief?"

Regina nods tersely."We came to say that we know what that thing that attacked us this afternoon is. It's called a Dementor. It belongs in the realm of Rowlingshire. It's a prison guard. We don't know why it's here yet, but we can go find out. I remember you said once that you can cross realms, but only alone. You can't take anyone with you. Correct?"

"Correct. And I wouldn't right now, anyway. I'm not leaving Zelena."

"Well, obviously she's not here. Not right now. I mean I know she's tired, but even she can't sleep through what you were doing down here."

"I sent her and Eliana to Olympus for the evening. We hadn't yet told the family up there about the new baby. As soon as Zeus found out, Persephone and Aphrodite showed up. They took her up there for a little pampering and R & R. She'll be back tomorrow morning. She and Eliana will be safe. Nothing bad will happen up there. I was going to go find that thing as soon as I got myself under control."

Regina's mouth falls open, her eyes going wide with shock. "You were just going to go find it, by yourself? Did you not hear a single thing I told you when I called this afternoon? It feeds on darkness, pain and suffering. It makes you relive the worst moments of your life. Hades, you've had a long life; centuries of rotten festering moments. And, you were just going to go out there by yourself and find it. So that what? So that it could suck out the blackened soul of a dark god and then be completely and totally unstoppable? Brilliant plan, Hades!"

"What do you suggest I do? Nothing? Come on, Regina! Even you haven't gone that soft!"

"Do you really want to talk about who's gone soft?" She raises an accusing eyebrow. "If all the flame throwing you've done tonight hasn't melted your brain, then why don't you try using it? Think a little bit less like some whipped guy in love. Think a little bit more like the rotten vindictive bastard I know you are."

His laughter is cold. "Typical Regina. Don't hold back, just come right out and tell me what you really think. Have you ever been reticent? Even for just one moment in your life?"

"If I have, it's none of your damn business." She pauses for a long beat before softening slightly. "Look, I understand if you don't want to go realm-hopping tonight. Honestly, neither do we, but it has to be done. We have to figure out how to get a handle on this thing, preferably before it tries again. And, I need your help. I'm sick of working with Gold. He has Jefferson's hat. He also has the Apprentice's wand. We're fresh out of magic beans, at least until the next crop comes in. I need a portal to get to Rowlingshire, and I'd like to avoid making a deal with him, if at all possible. I'm requesting to visit the underworld. That is, as long as my mother is still there. She knows how to walk through mirrors. If she'll teach me, I can get there and maybe develop some sort of attack plan, or at the very least figure out exactly who this thing is after. Will you help?"

"Of course, anything to keep Zelena safe."

Regina nods and takes Robin's hand in hers. "I trust that means you won't double-cross us and leave us down there?"

"I'll be listening. Just yell when you want to come back."


	10. Chapter 10

Robin and Regina find themselves standing hand in hand in one of the many chambers of a regrettably familiar cave in the time it takes Hades to blink. Looking around, Regina sighs heavily with displeasure. "Here we are again."

"Come on." He tugs gently. "The sooner we get started, the sooner we can leave this place."

"Good idea. The longer we're down here, the longer Storybrooke is in danger."

"Hey, Madame Mayor, it won't do you a bit of good to worry about that just now. Set it aside. It will only distract you. You left Emma and the fairies on dementor patrol, and Snow can handle your office short term. Storybrooke is going to be fine."

"I suppose it was too much to ask for that Hades might've dropped us off in front of the town hall."

"I think everybody comes in this way. It's probably a rule. Remember the guard dog?"

"How could I forget? He lives in our backyard now. Wait… Since the dog does live in our backyard now, what do you suppose he's been replaced with?"

Robin grins. "A two-headed Cyclops, a dragon, or hey, maybe an ogre."

Regina smirks without comment.

When they feel themselves step though an unmanned, unseen, magical gateway at the mouth of the cave, she squints in mild confusion. It possesses similar magic to the barrier around Storybrooke, but it still feels foreign to Regina. In Storybrooke, people can get out, but they can't get in without a magical pass. Here the opposite is true. People come in, all but a very select few don't leave the way they came.

When Robin reaches back curiously, intending to place his hand through the invisible entryway, Regina quickly stops him with a hand on his forearm, shakes her head and walks ten steps on their intended path. She bends, picks up a small rock, motions for him to stand a safe distance away, and, once he does, she tosses the rock back the way she came. When the rock encounters the unseen entry post it sets off an inglorious cacophony of dark magical sparks.

Regina huffs dryly, "Well, that was anti-climactic."

Robin chuckles. "What? Don't tell me you're actually looking forward to doing battle with some heinous magical creature tonight."

"Looking forward to it? No." Regina shakes her head. "But I am expecting it. After all, we have come to see my mother."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Regina hesitates outside the door to the underworld version of the Storybrooke mayor's office.

Stalling, she turns and says quietly, "Come here."

Already close, Robin moves still closer; close enough to kiss. He squints curiously, but stands there patiently and allows her to gently smooth his slightly rumpled shirt down over his shoulders more evenly. For two seconds, she adjusts his collar; trying to position it in a less casual manner. Then, suddenly she stops, laughs at herself, and puts it back the way she found it. Quietly, she breathes, "You're better your way. If she doesn't like it, that's just too damn bad."

Regina steals a quick kiss that is a little too chaste for either of their liking. Then she turns and squares her shoulders. She breathes deeply and crosses the point of no return when she knocks.

Her mother's voice sounds distracted and busy when she answers, "You may enter."

As Regina pushes the door open and steps over the threshold, she finds Cora Mills seated behind the desk and carefully perusing some document. As necessity dictates, she waits for Robin to close the door behind them and then take up a post beside it before she steps a little closer to the center of the room where she stands quietly and waits to be addressed.

When the Queen of Hearts looks up from her work, it's quite clear by the somewhat startled expression on her face that whomever she was expecting to find waiting for her attention, it certainly was not her younger daughter.

Cora sets her shock aside and recovers quickly. She rises to her feet, and steps around the desk, "Regina, darling." She laughs wryly. "I must say, this is certainly a surprise!" She hugs her daughter swiftly, and then, placing a hand on either of Regina's shoulders, she pushes her a ½ step back so she can look her over; head to toe.

"You look tired." She announces with an immediate and unmistakable note of disapproval. "You should be taking better care of yourself."

Regina bites back the flippant retort on the tip of her tongue.

Cora eyes Robin speculatively and sighs. "Yes, well, I would tell him that he needs to be taking better care if you, but he looks just as neglected."

"We've been busy, Mother. There's a situation in Storybrooke."

"Come now, Regina. That's hardly an excuse. When isn't there a situation in Storybrooke, and you and I are royalty, sweetheart. We must –

"Uphold a certain standard. I know, I know."

"Don't interrupt, please."

When Regina grudgingly but dutifully, says nothing more, Cora offers her a cool detached smile. "That's better. Now, what brings you here?"

Regina walks across the room to stand in front of a floor-length wall mirror and lightly caresses its shimmering ebony frame. "I need your help with something, Mother."

Cora's eyes widen noticeably. "Oh, my." She laughs snidely. This is unprecedented. Storybrooke must be in worse trouble than usual if you're coming to me."

Robin watches Regina swallow the first reply that finds its way to her tongue. "There's a dementor in town, Mother. They're dark beings who feed on –

"Yes, yes, dear. I know what vile creatures dementors are, and what they feed on. But, if you've come for a vanquishing spell, I'm afraid I have none to give."

"No, Mother, that isn't why I'm here. I'll find the way to deal with the dementor myself. But, to do it, I need to go to the Rowlingshire realm. I've come here to ask you to teach me how to walk through mirrors."

Cora is quiet for several long beats; more than ample time to convey her disappointment before she speaks. "Regina, I'm surprised at you. You can push me through a mirror, but you can't figure out how to push yourself through one?

Regina grimaces. Forgive me! I've never tried to banish myself before, Mother."

"Well, no, of course, you haven't. But even if it was on a purely unconscious level, you've had the power to do it for a number of years. Otherwise you wouldn't have been able to do it to me. You take your gifts - your power - for granted, Regina. You always have!"

"I didn't come down here for a lecture; Mother. I came because the last time I was here, Daddy asked me to try harder. He asked me to be a better sister."

Cora squints in obvious confusion. "What's your sister got to do with any of this, and why would your father care about her? She's nothing to him."

Regina shakes her head in disgust and sighs in resignation. "Daddy cares about me, Mother. And the dementor – what was it that you called it? A vile creature? Words that definitely do not do it, or its kiss, justice; by the way. It may be after Zelena."

Cora suddenly goes quiet; a smidgen of genuine concern finally finding its way to her eyes. "What are you saying, Regina? You've been kissed by one of those demons?"

"We all have; Zelena, Robin and myself. So, I'd really appreciate it, if you would cease and desist with the open disappointment and the thinly veiled insults. It's been a hell of a day!"

"It happened today? And you two are walking upright?"

"Barely. We're lucky to be alive."

"See, this is what I'm talking about. Luck has nothing to do with it. You take your abilities for granted. How's your sister. How's the baby?"

"She's doing okay, and so is he. Hades send them to Olympus for the night."

"Well good. She'll be pampered up there for sure. Gods are notoriously crazy about fami… Wait, did you just say he… As in, the baby is a boy? That's not possible, Regina."

"I don't know what to tell you, Mother. Except, not only is it possible, it's happening. Weil did an ultrasound, just to check on the baby after the dementor attack. Hades has been telling anyone and everyone who will listen for months. Now it's official. He's a boy."

"Oh, a son! He'll have his father's throne for sure!" Cora's devious smile quite literally makes Regina nauseous."

"Not if he doesn't even see his first birthday. Now will you help me, or not?"

Whatever schemes Cora is planning in her head come to an abrupt, if temporary, end and her smile melts away and slides into a repugnant scowl "That reminds me, Regina! I have a grievance to air! I'm very upset with you!"

"I'll notify the press." Regina says dryly. "It happens so infrequently."

Cora ignores her daughter's sass. "I overheard your sister and her husband talking awhile back."

"You were eavesdropping."

"Stop interrupting me! I overheard them talking."

"Okay, and?"

"All the magic in the universe. All the magic that you personally possess – and you couldn't find a way to let me know that I have a granddaughter!"

"I could have." Regina holds back.

"But how?"

"How I would have gotten word to you is really a moot point; since I didn't."

"No, not how you would've gotten word to me! I mean how…"

Regina squints, thoroughly perplexed by the innuendo hanging in the air. She glances at Robin, and though he's doing his best to keep a straight face, his blue eyes sparkle merrily. Making her own effort to keep her smile under control, she points his way. "Well, he and I… We had sex, Mother."

"Ugh, Regina! That is not what I'm asking! I know how! For the love of all things dark! Have you forgotten everything I taught you? A little decorum, please! You've been hanging out with… with… with…" She rolls her wrist and points in Robin's direction. "Forest-dwelling miscreants too long!"

Refusing to be bothered, Robin bows deeply from the waist. "Why, thank you, mi'lady."

Cora scowls but otherwise ignores him. "I remember that day, Regina. I was there. I saw you drink that vile concoction. I saw you poison yourself. I heard the palace physician's damning diagnosis. You mutilated yourself! Just to spite me. So, I repeat, how?" She sneers at Robin. "Surely you're not asking me to believe that this mere man has magic in his loins."

Regina throws back her head and laughs boldly, freely. "Mother, you have no idea!"

Color starts to rise in Cora's neck and her lips all but disappear when she purses them together harshly in disapproval and then demands, "Stop this at once and answer my question! How?"

Regina shrugs as if it's no big deal. "A very kind person healed me."

"Please, if that were so simply done. I could've done it myself. It's next to impossible to heal self-inflicted wounds done with the use of magic; especially those inflicted deliberately. In order to heal something like that, you'd need the power of the gods."

"Not the power of the gods, Mother, just the blessing."

"Which is rather hard to come by. They're usually quite unwilling to share their power with mages. Dark or light makes no difference. The self-righteous lot of them horde their power." She huffs in disdain.

"You might want to be careful, Mother. Lest Zelena not be the only family member green with envy. The woman who healed me was no mage. She was a plain ordinary mortal who died tragically in childbirth. She was no one you'd care to know."

"Then why did she do it?"

Regina shrugs. "She had her own reasons. Perhaps it made her feel good."

"So, we're back to I have a granddaughter, and you had no intention of telling me!"

"No. I didn't."

"Why?"

"Two reasons. First, you're wrong. I didn't render myself barren to spite you. I did it to keep any child I might birth away from you. Second, I did it because, today, you have two grandsons who are older than your granddaughter, and even in life you never would have acknowledged them, simply because my blood does not flow through their veins. To you, they mean nothing. You are only interested in your granddaughter, and you are only angry to be denied knowing her because she is biologically mine. I know you, Mother. You see her as a living, breathing, legacy. In your eyes, she is your continued connection to power and glory; even in death. In my eyes, she is strong. She is kind. She is wild, and beautiful and untainted. She's not afraid to love or to be loved, and you will never be allowed to ruin her for any reason at all, much less, for your undying quest for power."

Cora is silent for a long time before declaring barely above a whisper, "You still don't trust me."

Regina says nothing.

"You seriously think that I ruined you?"

"No." Regina offers her a triumphant but melancholy smile. "I know now that you didn't. But, it wasn't for lack of trying. You certainly gave it all you had."

"If you really feel that way, then why did you even come here?"

Regina lifts one shoulder in a shrug. "Mother, that is an excellent question."

"I'm dead, Regina. What harm am I going to do?"

"Also, an excellent question. You and I both know there are ways around death. I wish it could be different. Truly, I do, because I love you, Mother. But I don't trust you. Not where my children are concerned, and I never will… But, if it's worth anything to you at all, I forgive you."

With nothing more to gained or lost, Regina turns to leave.

The door is open and she has one foot over the threshold and one hand held securely in Robin's when Cora quietly offers, "It's just your basic Specularè charm - one part mirror magic, two parts disapperation, combined, and well mixed with, a strong dash of desire."


	11. Chapter 11

The heady scents of Magnolia and lilac waft lightly on the night air, and from the spot where she lays lounging, on a balcony lit with outdoor candles and overlooking the botanical gardens of Olympus, Zelena hums her barely intelligible thanks as Persephone hands her another warm drink.

"I don't know what's in this stuff, but I can't get enough, and the baby is so calm."

Aphrodite murmurs musically. "It's a simple little recipe really. It's guava and pomegranate juice with just a tiny half-pinch ambrosia – the nectar of our people. I've had the recipe adjusted, so as not to overpower you. Too much is just as harmful as not enough, but you give the wee little god-child a bit of that every day and he won't put such a drain on you. He needs it, especially if you're going to live separate from us. You need to feed his power. If he feels weak, he's going to rebel and give you a very rough time."

Zelena runs a freshly manicured hand over her swollen abdomen. "Can I take a vial of the stuff home with me?"

"Afraid not, love. It doesn't leave the mountain. If it were to inadvertently fall into the wrong hands, you'd have greedy humans overdosing on it and the world you live in would become incendiary in nature."

Zelena laughs wickedly. "Obviously you haven't spent too much time in my world. It's already incendiary in nature even without the nectar of the gods. And, if that's the case, I may just stay right here until he's born. I mean right here in this spot. I seriously never want to leave this place. That massage was simply divine, and I feel so languid and indulged."

"And you look absolutely scrumptious, too," Aphrodite confirms. "My uncle doesn't deserve such perfection… but then what male does. "She pops a plump sweet black grape into her mouth and smiles alluringly at the well-muscled half-naked man painting her toenails a dramatic shade of red.

"I truly don't want to move, but I suppose I should check on my daughter."

"Ah-Ah, stay right where you are, darling," Persephone instructs lightly. I assure you, she's fine. Right now, I'm sure she hasn't a care in the world. The little ones are always looked after by a veritable horde of nannies. Daddy likes to sneak into the nursery at bedtime and participate in story hour. He does separate voices for the characters in the stories and makes silly noises, and the little tykes just eat it up! He gets the kids all stirred up and has them laughing and jumping around, and Madame Fulbright scuttles about acting like she hates him. He threatens her with lightning, which just makes the kids laugh harder. She'd die if anyone found out. But I'm pretty sure she secretly has the hots for the old man."

Aphrodite chuckles gleefully. "Drives Hera crazy. She hates Madame Fulbright."

Persephone arches an eyebrow. Please sister, Hera hates all females who look twice at Dad."

"Well, that's certainly true."

"Ah, but I'm afraid I must give a girl a break." Zelena decides to play devil's advocate. "I wouldn't want someone looking twice and your uncle either."

"It doesn't really matter if they look." Persephone offers. "I don't think Uncle Hades would even notice."

"He better not." Aphrodite and Zelena say in unison and then laugh. "Not if he knows what's good for him."

It takes several long seconds for their laughter to dry up. Once it does, Aphrodite smiles mischievously. Eager to keep the fun going, she whispers conspiratorially "Seriously though, inquiring minds wanna know, what's he like in bed?

Shocked laughter tumbles out of Zelena, and she covers her mouth as she sets her drink aside; praying she doesn't choke; while Persephone tries to scold, "Aphrodite!" but can't manage it without laughing, herself.

"What? I can't help it. I'm curious. He does have a dark side; you know."

Zelena objects lightheartedly. "But, he's your uncle!"

"Oh, honey, that never stops me from wondering."

* * *

Robin jerks awake sometime after 1:00 AM, unaware until he does that he had fallen asleep to begin with. For one confusing moment, he's disoriented. This isn't his bed. this isn't his bedroom. He looks to his left. His wife is not beside him. For one fleeting moment in time, he wonders, "Where am I?"

He moves to get up from the bed and before his feet touch the floor, his mind does a quick little rewind. "Room four, above the Three Broomsticks Pub, the Rowlingshire Realm, after almost two hours of charms and practice in Regina's vault before she would declare herself ready to make the journey here. And that was after returning to Storybrooke from the underworld, where the two of them had narrowly avoided bumping into Fiona; who only missed seeing them because she was busy talking to some dark-haired, wild-eyed witch who, by Robin's best estimation, may have had Tourette's Syndrome.

"Regina?" He calls out quietly, as he notices the stream of pale light visible from beneath the closed bathroom door. Before he fell asleep, she went into the bathroom. He thought for a quick shower. That was some time ago. When there's no answer, mild concern turns to worry. He calls out again and waits. When there is still no answer he rushes through the door only to startle her awake; causing her to slosh water from her bath and extinguish a few of the candles placed near the tub.

"What? What's wrong?" She demands sleepily; a fireball instantly forming in the palm of her left hand as she watches his worry slide away and the tension in his shoulders and legs begin to soften.

Robin shakes his head. "I apologize. It didn't realize you were asleep. I got worried when you didn't answer me."

Chuckling softly, Regina extinguishes the fireball and offers him a wry smile. "There's only one way in or out of this room, you know. In order for somebody to do me any harm, they would have to enter the same room you were just in. If anyone had entered magically, you would have heard something."

He grins sheepishly. "Yes, but at home when you fall asleep in the bath, it's never so soundly that you don't hear me calling your name. You always answer."

She offers him a tired shrug as she uses a bit of magic to warm water that went tepid as she slept. "Give a lady a break, okay? I was both Mom and Mayor all day. I chased off a dementor, I went to the underworld, had a mostly civilized conversation with my mother - always a chore, then went back home for a self-guided magic lesson, and finally did a little realm hopping. I'm not ashamed to admit I'm whipped."

"My apologies. Her Majesty has had a long hard day. Robin approaches casually and perches on the edge of the deep, old-fashioned, claw-footed, bath basin to deliver a light but affectionate kiss. He runs his fingers gently through her hair. "We could have waited until tomorrow to travel here. We could have slept in our own bed tonight."

Regina shakes her head. "Tomorrow Zelena will be home from Olympus. Once Hades is satisfied that she's alright … Well, he would have demanded to come with us. It's not like we can stop him. I came here to talk to an auror, which is basically police, or maybe a bounty hunter, who specializes in apprehending dark witches and wizards. I don't know who this, Harry Potter guy, is or what he's like. If he's not a reasonable sort of man, he may well attempt to throw me in Azkaban." She sighs tiredly at the thought of that possibility alone. "I don't think it would work in our favor to have an angry vengeful god tagging along. If Hades goes with us tomorrow to this Ministry of Magic and starts throwing his weight around – not that he doesn't have a reason to be angry - but I don't see that going well for us."

Robin helps himself to the washcloth draped over the faucet and reaches for the soap in the wire dish on the opposite side of the tub and lathers up. "As usual, you're strategically six steps ahead of me. I hadn't thought about any of that yet. Maybe, you should let me go talk to this Potter bloke alone tomorrow."

Regina shakes her head. "Thank you for wanting to protect me, but I refuse to hide like some timid little schoolgirl. That's not what I want our children to see me doing. Actions have consequences; all actions. I want them to know that the good we do matters, just as much as the bad. How can I teach them that, Robin, if I don't step out there and take the risk? Besides, she may get on my nerves, but Zelena is my sister. If that damn thing was specifically after her, it's in for a fight! I don't care if I have to face a whole room full of aurors. Somebody is going to teach me how to deal with that thing!"

After the day you've had, you should be up there on Olympus, with your sister, being waited on hand and foot with you every whim indulged. Here, lean forward, mi'lady."

Regina complies with a lazy smile, sitting upright in the tub and drawing her knees and chest together. For a long moment, she simply enjoys the feel of warm water and Robin's capable hand gently washing her back. "Uh-uh." She finally murmurs in soft surrender. "I don't need Olympus."

"No?"

"No. I'm good, right here, right now. With you.

"Olympus is quite likely to have some much prettier scenery than this dusty old rattletrap inn."

"Oh, they do." She assures him quietly. She falls silent for two beats and then purrs in sublime gratification, "But they don't have you."

Robin flashes his easy grin. "Are you sure you wouldn't toss me over, for an entourage of Olympian underlings to do your bidding?"

"Umm-umm." Regina hums lazily as warm water, soap, and Robin's strong but nimble hands begin to have an almost hypnotic effect on her. "Don't need an entire entourage. Just one capable woodsman who doesn't find it objectionable to indulge my every need or desire."

"Ah, I'm to be the palace slave, then?" he jokes lightheartedly. "Will I be sleeping in the livery with the livestock, my queen?"

"What would be the sense in that? If you're out there with the horses and chickens. I won't have anyone to warm the royal bedchamber."

He offers her a roguish smile as he blindly feels for, and removes the stopper from the bathtub drain. "Then, please, allow me to be of service." Robin stands and pulls a fresh towel from the rack with a flourish and holds it open, ready to receive her gloriously willing body.


	12. Chapter 12

After breakfast, Eliana plays alone under the shade of an olive tree in the children's garden. It isn't entirely that she chooses to play alone, the other children in the garden seem to regard her with an air of uncertainty. They stare a lot and they talk quietly amongst themselves much as they did the night before. So, Elia leaves them alone and plays in solitude and wishes that Daddy would come get her and take her home.

She plays with Alexis, her favorite doll, for an hour or more, until four of Olympus' children cautiously yet, bravely approach; a boy and three girls. The boy and one of the girls appear to be two or three years older than Eliana, while one girl is approximately her age and the last is maybe a year or two younger. They approach hand in hand, except for the boy who, may be the oldest, but is still much too young to be caught dead holding the hand of a girl. He approaches willingly enough but, at all times, he is careful to remain an arm's length away from the girls.

When they are near enough for their presence to make her mildly uncomfortable Eliana hugs her doll close.

"I like your doll; she's pretty." The girl about her age says.

Eliana eyes them warily. "She's mine. You can't have her."

The dark-haired girl with a bright lively green eyes shrugs easily. "I don't want to take her. I just think she's pretty, that's all. I'm Thalia, these are my sisters, Clio and Calliope. We are the muses. Well, three of them anyway. There are six more."

Eliana's eyes widen with curiosity and she tilts her head to one side. "You have a lot of sisters."

"I got tons more than just those."

"What's a muse?"

Thalia squints and shrugs before she offers, Dad says we inspire people to do stuff - art stuff – like writing and singing, playing music, or painting."

Eliana eyes the boy with equal curiosity. "Are you a muse, too."

He looks at his feet shyly and shakes his head.

Eliana returns her attention to the one who spoke to her. "Can't he talk?"

"Oh, sure. That's Eros. He's our nephew. He talks all the time. Usually he never shuts up. He mostly talks until he starts fights with other people."

The boy scowls at Thalia.

"What? It's true." She smiles sweetly but sticks her tongue out at the boy before telling Eliana, "He just ain't talkin' right now 'cause he likes your hair."

"Shut up. I do not!" Eros protests.

"Do too! I'm a muse; muses know stuff."

Eros digs the toe of one sandal into the ground. "Well, you're not my muse. So, you just be quiet, Tally. You don't have to go telling everybody everything you know."

Eliana smiles. "I like that mark on the side of your face."

Eros blushes and brushes dirt off the large oval-shaped birthmark on his right cheek that he usually wishes he could hide from the whole entire universe.

Clio fidgets nervously and speaks up suddenly, "We just wanted to ask you how you got here."

Eliana squints and shrugs. "My daddy brought me and Mummy here last night, remember?"

Clio shakes her head. "We just know you came last night. That's all."

Calliope looks as if she is either on the verge of vomiting, or fleeing in terror when she whispers, Mommy says your dad is our Uncle Hades, and he doesn't come to Olympus very often because he and Daddy had a big fight a long, long time ago."

Eliana shrugs again. "I don't know if he's your uncle, but he's my daddy."

Calliope trembles. "Is he mean?"

Eliana frowns and shakes her head. "He's nice to me. He lets me paint his toes purple whenever I want."

Clio and Calliope giggle "He does not! You're just joshing us."

Eliana shakes her head in earnest as Thalia reclaims the conversation with. "That means we're cousins."

"Like me and Norah?"

It's Thalia's turn to shrug. "Who's Norah? Is she a goddess?"

Eliana wrinkles her nose. "No, but she does have magic. She's pretty cool, I guess, for a girl who's just a witch. She's my cousin Her mum, is my Auntie Gina. Her dad is Robin Hood."

Eros perks up, setting a bit of his shyness aside. "I bet my dad can shoot arrows better than Robin Hood can."

Eliana gives him a look of uncertainty. "I don't know. Maybe. Uncle Robin's pretty good. I saw him split an arrow once."

"Only once?"

"I saw it once, but if he can do it once with people watching, he musta done it a whole bunch more when nobody was watching."

"Yeah," Calliope squeaks. "Sometimes it's hard to do magic; especially if other people's watching you."

Thalia declares. "Shooting arrows isn't magic, silly."

Calliope frowns until Eliana offers, "Auntie Gina says that shooting arrows is a skill; one that Uncle Robin is so good at, he makes it look like magic." When the littlest muse smiles, Eliana continues, "So, muses know stuff and inspire people to make art." She turned her gaze to Eros again. "What can you do?"

Eros gesticulates shyly. "Mom says I bring people's passions to the surface; whatever that means."

Thalia laughs. "You bring madness to the surface. Eliana, I'd told you already, he talks until he starts arguments and fights between other people. Can you throw blue fire, like Uncle Hades does?"

Eliana chews on her lower lip. "Mine's not blue, like my daddy's is. It's green and pink, and I can't throw it very good yet, but that's only because Mummy won't let me practice. She said I will burn the house down. But, I can do this instead…" Eliana closes her eyes and wrinkles her nose; concentrating intently until green flames that bleed into pink at the outer edges ignite and erupt from the top of her red head.

The two older girls stare in fascination, taking only a step or two back in surprise while little Calliope squeals and ducks behind a tree. Eros simply stares in complete and utter awe, silent for several long breaths, until the whispered words, "Totally cool." finally escape his lips.

Two hours later, when Zelena and Hades arrive at the children's garden to collect their daughter, they're both pleasantly shocked when Eliana, who has been unpleasant, if not outright combative for months, happily pleads to stay longer.

* * *

Robin and Regina step beyond the last vanishing tendrils of her customary swirling royal purple vortex hand in hand and walk down a secluded section of Diagon Alley onto a bustling city sidewalk somewhere reminiscent of downtown London. Largely unnoticed, they look around at the pedestrian traffic passing by and Robin suddenly understands why his wife insisted they wear clothing better suited for the Enchanted, or even Sherwood, Forest. Because, mixed in with people in everyday business attire similar to that of people who live beyond the Storybrooke town line, there are also people present in what most people of this world would consider to be antiquated clothing, hooded cloaks, and conical hats. Robin supposes, given the reason for their visit, that things might go a little better for them if they look a little less like they belong in modern-day Maine.

Robin stays at her side as they walk three blocks, weaving in and out of foot traffic bracketed by old-world buildings and arrive at an obscure location; a brightly painted red telephone kiosk. Regina steps inside and pulls him along with her. When she closes the door and he finds it odd to be crammed into such a small space with his wife in public, close enough to detect the rise and fall of her chest with every breath she takes, she smiles knowingly; even though he doesn't voice the thought.

"Here, let me see this." She says quietly, as she gently removes his wedding ring from his left hand. She holds her free hand over it, obviously about to cast some spell, and then stops; suddenly distracted. "Handkerchief, if you please, sir."

Raising a curious eyebrow, Robin fishes one out of his pocket and hands it over.

"You really should take this thing off every once in a while." She announces softly as she uses the handkerchief to clean and polish his ring."

"I beg your pardon, Mrs. Locksley?"

She chuckles quietly in response to the startled expression on his face and lightly brushes her lips against his. "I'm not suggesting you do anything inappropriate. Only that you should take it off long enough to clean it now and again. It's a bit dull. Jewelry should always shine; even a modest piece such as this."

"Yes, ma'am." He assures his newfound understanding as Regina gives him back his handkerchief and then returns to her original task. Waving a hand over the ring, it glows purple for an instant as she casts an obvious bit of magic, and then slides it back on his finger with an intriguing smile. "I'm pretty sure only magical folks visit this Ministry. I don't want us to get separated because of that. Don't take it off until we get back home, in fact, hold my hand anyway, and -" She offers him a playful nudge and jokes. "I'm sharing. Don't go using this tiny bit of power for anything – nefarious."

Robin chuckles dryly. "Says the woman who used to burn entire villages to the ground."

She nods "I know. It's hypocritical, but -

"That's not what I was trying to say, Regina. I was commenting on the fact that you don't do it anymore, and that makes me proud."

Smiling, she wraps an arm around his waist and raises a provocative eyebrow. "You know, I have no idea how this is going to go, don't you? I'm out of my depth here."

Robin returns her smile with a wink. "Is that a warning, or an invitation for adventure?"

"A bit of both, I guess. Are you ready?"

"As long as you're with me, lady."

As Regina removes the telephone handset from its cradle, she whispers in his ear. "Always."

* * *

Being sure to keep each other within arm's length, Regina and Robin look around in unabashed curiosity; taking in the sight of the reception area inside the Ministry of Magic. The place is crowded; people in all manner of dress coming and going every which direction. The grand fountain flows and bubbles at the center of the splendidly imposing, structure with its heavy marble and granite walls, floor, and vaulted ceilings. And when their eyes meet once more, Regina breathes quietly. "Five words I never thought I'd hear myself say – too much black, isn't there?"

Robin caresses her face as he chuckles.

"I'm serious, Robin. They need some gray, silver, or white to even things out; brighten the place up a bit. This place sits too heavy on the mind."

"Come on, Mi'lady." He says, pulling her gently by the hand toward the long lines at the reception desk. You're already mom, wife, mayor, and what was it that Henry called you a few years ago, bad-ass ninja witch? You don't have time to take on a job as the interior decorator for the Ministry of Magic."

Regina chuckles wryly. "Right you are, Mr. Locksley."

* * *

Forty-five minutes later 36-year-old Ronald Weasley catches sight of something that confuses him several floors below reception. "Hey there, hold up a minute, Harry!" He shouts after his longtime friend. "Mate, you're going the wrong way."

"Actually, I don't believe I am." Harry turns and beckons his friend to his side.

"Harry, have you gone mental? Hermione is going to laugh at you if you've broken your glasses again. That's the wrong bloody lift. That one won't take you anywhere except down to holding."

Harry motions again, more insistently. "I know that, Ron. And, as you can see, my glasses are just fine. Now, come on."

Ron politely pushes his way through the crowded corridor and joins Harry on the lift bound for security and holding.

Glad to find themselves alone on the lift, Ron complains comically. "There's a dementor missing at Azkaban. No one's picked it up on radar since yesterday." He hikes his thumb toward the ceiling. "Not that I'm thrilled to be going, but the front door is that way, and you're headed into the belly of the beast. Care to tell me why?"

"Because I'm going with my gut."

"Of course, you are. What's your gut got to say today? Mine's wishing Hugo hadn't helped himself to my bacon this morning at breakfast."

Harry shakes his head. "First, Hugo helps himself to your bacon every chance he gets. Maybe you need to either have Hermione cook more, or learn to do with less. Second, I just got a call from reception. I have a visitor. It seems one, Regina Mills, would like a word. She's waiting downstairs in holding."

Ron shrugs. "Who's she"

Harry stares incredulously at his redheaded friend like maybe he's the one who's gone mental and passes him a copy of a wanted poster that has gone severely yellow with age. "Regina Mills… Enchanted Forest Realm… Evil Queen… Disappeared about 35 years ago. No one saw her at all for 28 of those years. It was assumed she was dead, then about seven years ago, someone spotted her. Supposedly, she hasn't aged a day, and although she pops up from time to time in one realm or another, there's chatter that she may or may not have changed her ways. Some call her heartless, a few call her hero. Evil or not, I can't say yet, but I'm bloody well gonna go find out. It seems, the queen simply walked through the front door, strode right up to reception like she hasn't a care in the world and asked for me by name – the day after one of our dementors goes missing. Call me crazy, Ron, but I got a hunch that the two events, somehow, are related."


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note** : As of November 19, 2017, some of you may need to go back and reread the end of the last chapter. Although I don't normally do this, I did add a few additional paragraphs late last night after I had already posted. Also, if you read, please take the time to send a constructive review. It really does feed the creative process. Thank you.

* * *

Robin stands with his back to the bars of his cell and turns his head sideways, peering down at the seemingly arcane locking mechanism on the outside of their shared cell. Shortly after Regina had given her name to the secretary upstairs, their presence alerted a few uniformed wizards who came rustling around the corner to hold Regina at wandpoint. Not wanting to draw any more attention to themselves than absolutely necessary, she had told the wizards that she had no intent to resist. At which time, they were immediately and forcibly escorted through the main lobby to the obscure looking lift that brought them down here to the holding cells, where they now wait for their presence to be acknowledged by someone with more authority than a lowly security guard.

Making good use of his profession, Robin quickly assesses their current holdings, coming to the conclusion that the facility wasn't built with people like him in mind. The austere but unusually clean six-by-eight-foot cell is outfitted with a bench, a bed, and one seemingly simple lock. He thinks about picking it, but before he can do so, he literally feels his wife's presence. She's less than an inch in front of him. He can feel her breath against his neck.

He turns, giving her his full, undivided, attention and offers his wide easy smile when he observes the steep angle of her arched eyebrow and the silent question burning in her eyes.

"Yeah, hi there." She whispers for his ears only. "What are you doing?" She demands as if she doesn't already know what is on his mind.

He shrugs and whispers back, "I'm pretty sure I can get us out of here."

"Robin, if I wanted you to get us out of here, don't you think I would've put up a little more fight going in. Sit down before you get yourself hurt."

"Who's going to hurt me? Even without my bow, surely you don't think that wretched-looking little imp they call a guard is a threat we can't handle."

First, honey…" She hisses pointedly. "He's not an imp. He's an elf, and he possesses more than enough magic to knock you on your supremely well-formed backside. I would strongly suggest that you not give him a reason to do that because if he does, I will have to hurt him. Second…" She holds out her hand as if waiting to receive something. "Give me a penny."

Not at all sure why she should make such a request at this moment, Robin raises an eyebrow, as he reaches into a pocket and hands over the requested coin. "Love, you really should start carrying some loose change in your pockets."

Regina holds her arms out to the side and spins slowly like a fashion model turning on a catwalk. Showing off precision-fitted leather pants and a corset that are the color of bold red wine and accompanied by a matching ankle-length coat with a turned-up collar that is accented with black opal and spun gold filigree thread "Do you see any pockets?"

Robin lets his gaze travel slowly from her head to her toes and back again, lingering over all his favor parts along the way. "Umm, well, I guess carrying change is out of the question."

Before he can say more, she lightly tosses the penny through the old flat iron bars. Less than a ¼ inch from the other side of the bars, the coin encounters an unseen magical barrier and sets off a minor, but cacophonous, display of attention-getting fireworks.

"Even if you get the doors open…" She returns to her seat on the prison bench and crosses her legs provocatively enough to momentarily scramble not only Robin's thought process but also that of the curious guard who hurries in to check on them in response to the commotion. Before continuing with her own thought process, Regina shrugs and waves to the guard playfully. He scowls and returns to his desk as she says, "the containment charm around them will cut you to ribbons. Come over here, sit down beside me, and wait. I'm sure we can think of something to do to occupy your mind until someone shows up."

Before either of them can say anything more, the door to the room opens again and the elf returns in the company of two men. The dark-haired one with glasses gazes at the two of them through the cell bars momentarily before turning his attention to the guard.

"Jax, I was only told about Ms. Mills."

The elf nods. "Sorry about that, sir. The rogue with her never gave his name at reception, but they are together. They sound like married people."

The redheaded man squints curiously as Regina smirks. "What do you mean they sound like married people."

"Weasley, sir, you may never have noticed, but married people have a certain way they talk to each other. It's different from the way unmarried couples converse. I can't truly define it with the words, but I know it when I hear it. I'll stake a gold galleon on it, these two are man and wife."

When both men outside the cell raise curious eyebrows, Regina looks to her cellmate. "Do you want to tell them or should I."

Robin offers his smile and bows congenially. "Robin of Locksley."

The redheaded one called Weasley inadvertently releases a quick snort of laughter before he manages to reign it in. "Are you serious?" He gestures to his companion. "Is he for real? Are you seriously telling me that Robin Hood actually exists?"

Robin grimaces and shakes his head in disappointment. "Alas, Regina, it would seem that apparently, I'm nothing more than a glorified folk hero in this realm as well."

Weasley sniggers again. "Bloody hell! I enjoyed the books as a kid, mate, but I really must say, she's not at all how I pictured the maid, Marian."

Robin glowers, his next words leaving no room for doubt. "My Marian died a number of years ago and I would greatly appreciate it if you would kindly refrain from saying her name in jest."

Realizing, even without the look of warning that his friend shoots him, that he has stepped in it yet again, the jokester ducks his head in embarrassment, but after a long second's hesitation, he looks Robin squarely in the eye and says, "My sincere apologies. I meant no harm. I truly did think you were having us on."

Robin shakes his head in earnest. "I give you my word, Mr. Weasley. I am indeed, Robin Hood. My wife and I have come here, not to cause trouble, but because we need your help. We've come seeking an audience with an auror; Mr. Harry Potter. It is of the utmost urgency that we speak with him."

"I am Harry Potter. And, as an auror, it is typically my job to apprehend dark witches and wizards. Are the two of you aware of that?"

Regina rises calmly to her feet. "Yes, we are. And, we have come anyway."

"Well then, Your Majesty, you've taken quite the risk; haven't you?"

"Perhaps." She shrugs. "When I left The Enchanted Forest a number of years ago, aurors from this realm, by magical decree, did not travel to other realms to apprehend those who are dark unless an invitation was extended requesting assistance."

"That is still true. We do not intercede in the affairs of other civilizations unless expressly invited to do so, but I have traveled nowhere without invitation. You have entered my realm."

"That is also true, but I have committed no crime here, Mr. Potter. I admit, I used a bit of dark magic to get to this realm, but I have not used dark magic since my arrival here. What's more, I have no intention of doing so. Surely, you don't imprison people simply because they are capable of the practice of the dark arts. If you did that, you're Azkaban Prison would not be big enough to hold everyone you would be required to arrest. You'd never have enough dementors to keep all your inmates in line, and I happen to know for a fact that you're missing at least one."

Harry steps closer to the cell and holds up the aged wanted poster in his hand, putting it on display. "It's true no one has asked me to aid in your capture, but I have a responsibility to the people of this realm; one which I take most seriously. It's been my experience that villains will lie. They will say whatever they need say to achieve their own dark goals, and whether you have committed such atrocities here or not, there is no statute of limitations on murder. What would you have me do; ignore this?"

"Certainly not. There should be no statute of limitations on murder. But I have not done those things here, and I'm not that person anymore. You can walk out of here this very minute and send me off to Azkaban. You never have to see me again, but if you do that, Mr. Potter, innocent people in my realm will be murdered; tormented and slaughtered by your rogue dementor. I am the mayor of said realm; a place known as Storybrooke. As a representative and public official for the town of Storybrooke, I'm officially and expressly seeking your help as an auror to apprehend and deal with your wayward prison guard. I am not asking you to trust me. I'm asking you to help me."

Harry stares at the regal posture of the woman standing tall and erect before him. He finds it exceedingly curious that she's made absolutely no attempt to deny even one of the charges laid against her on the wanted poster that bears an unfavorable likeness of her. After studying her, searching her eyes, for several long seconds of silent contemplation he declares."You will harm no one here. No one in this realm will suffer injury or loss of any kind - by either of you." He passes a solemn look between the two of them. "By your word?"

Both Robin and Regina nod in earnest. "By our word."

Harry turns his full attention to Regina again. "Will you abstain from using magic for the remainder of your stay in this realm?"

"I believe that is possible, with the exception of the little bit I will need to get home. If it's an issue, I'm quite certain that you must have devices that prevent the use of magic. I willingly submit to wear such a device if it will give you peace of mind."

At this point, Robin clears his throat and steps back into the conversation. "No."

"No, what?" His wife asks, scowling in obvious confusion.

"I won't agree to that. I won't stand here and agree to let him put you in some sort of magical choke hold. How will you defend yourself if need be?"

"That's what I have you for, Robin, and we've got to get home. If I have to spend a few minutes on a magical leash, I will. Zelena and the rest of the town are counting on it." To Harry, she says, "I trust you will return his confiscated bow and quiver."

Nodding, Harry turns to their guard. "Run and fetch Mr. Locksley's belongings. I'll need a redaction cuff, and the containment charm for this cell will have to be deactivated, Jax."

The elf nods agreeably. "Right away, Mr. Potter, of course, sir."


	14. Chapter 14

Regina, Queen of the Enchanted Forest, stands perfectly still, head held high while Jax, the elf, places the slim-fitting redaction cuff around her right ankle. While no trace of her private thoughts is visible on her face, she silently battles her own psyche. Her rational half, the half that knows she must do what needs to be done in order to get home as quickly as possible does battle with her darker half; the half that wants to kick the annoying little elfin creature across the room and grab him by his ridiculously large ears and repeatedly slam his head into a wall. Instead, she stares at a fixed point on the wall opposite her cell and distracts herself with thoughts of home and what awaits her there.

Because he knows the nature of the unspoken thoughts in her mind, Robin gently squeezes his wife's shoulder and repeats his earlier objection. "Once more, for the record, I don't like this."

She breathes deeply before speaking; her tone cool and detached. "It won't be for long, and you don't have to like it."

Robin paces in agitation within the limited confines of their cell. "Still, just once, Regina, I'd like to be able to veto something as important as this and have you take me seriously."

"Robin," She continues as if they are alone and not in the company of strangers. "I understand. You're frustrated. Believe me, I can sympathize, but right now I'm not the only one vetoing you. We aren't in charge here. We don't have a choice. We have to get home before that thing makes another attempt at snatching Zelena… Or anyone else. Once this situation is dealt with, you get to make the next major decision that affects our lives, I promise. But for now…"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Let's just get this over with."

When the cuff is properly secured the elf rises from his bony knees and Regina quickly slides her stocking foot back into the high-heeled boot she had to remove for him.

As she zips up, Robin asks her, "You still think that thing is after Zelena?"

"It makes the most sense. If it were just looking for someone at random, why come to Storybrooke in the first place? Why leave its own realm to come to a magically sequestered. unfamiliar place? Once there, why target a tavern that hadn't opened for business yet? I understand not picking a heavily populated area, but why not snatch a lone hiker in the woods, or someone otherwise isolated. Why take on a woodsman, two children, and two of the town's most powerful mages?"

"Maybe it didn't know who it was taking on."

"Possible, but once that baby decided to defend itself, the thing should've taken a hint. You were simply in its way at the door. That's why it hit you first. It only came after me…"

Robin nods. "When you started protecting Zelena."

Regina nods in turn. "The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. She is pregnant with the child of a god, Robin. The number of people who would love to get their hands on an unborn demigod…" Regina inhales deeply through clenched teeth; making a wet hissing sound. "We have to figure out who that thing is working for, because my guess is, whoever is behind this when they hear of what we did yesterday, they will send reinforcements and chasing off just one was hard enough. I want to get ahead of this thing before we're dealing with a whole squadron of them."

"You really think it's some sort of contract job?"

Regina turns her attention to Potter and Weasley. "What use would a dementor have for an unborn child? Demigod or not? They feed off people's pain; off their worst experiences. An unborn child has no experience – or at the very least a severely limited amount of it."

Harry speaks up as Ron shrugs. "Maybe it's not about the child. Although I admit, having heard your reasoning, that seems unlikely. Who is this Zelena?"

Regina waits for the containment charm on the cell to be disabled and then steps through as she tells them, "She's the Wicked Witch of the West."

Ron's eyes go wide in his mouth falls open. "The Wicked Witch of the West? Like, as in The Wizard of Oz, the children's bedtime story with the talking scarecrow and the cowardly lion and whatnot."

Regina offers him a deadpan look. "I'm afraid The Wizard of Oz is no more. His name was Walsh. She turned him into one of her flying monkeys. She is now the self-appointed Empress of Oz."

Ron gulps; his Adam's apple bobbing nervously. "And she's pregnant with the child of a god?"

"Not just any god, but Hades. The god of the underworld. Lord Death, himself."

"Bloody hell!" Ron slumps against the corner of the guard's desk momentarily and turns to his friend. "Harry…"

"I know, Ron. I know."

Curious, Regina queries, "What do you know?"

Harry takes a deep breath and speaks slowly; measuring out his words. "I know that, if you're telling me the truth, we've got a potentially nasty situation on our hands."

"Well, then you better gear up, Mr. Potter, because I don't lie."

Robin smirks as he shoulders his bow and quiver. "It's true. She doesn't. Not even when people wish she would." He arches a mildly curious eyebrow when Regina chooses to pick up his knapsack and sling it over one of her own shoulders.

"What?" She queries in response to his curious look. "I can carry it. I've got nothing else to do. It's not like I need my hands free in case I suddenly need to use magic. This way, you'll need a second or two less prep time if you need to fire for any reason. Although, if we come up against any dementors, I don't think that bow and quiver are going to be of much use to us."

Robin shrugs and offers his smile. "I know that. I was just remembering the tantrum your mother threw the last time she saw you carrying my satchel - something about how she raised a queen: how dare I treat you like a pack mule."

Regina shrugs. "First, don't let Cora have free rent inside your head. Trust me, she makes a lousy tenant. Second, you aren't treating me any such way, Robin. I wouldn't let you, and you know it. I volunteered to pick it up which is something Mother isn't even capable of understanding. She's never cared enough about anyone to want to lighten their load – well, except for herself." Pulling herself mentally back around to the task at hand, Regina turns her attention to Harry and Ron. "Where to first?"

Harry uncrosses his ankles and pushes away from the wall he is leaning against, rising to his full height. "Well, before I head off into what, for me, is uncharted territory, I'd like to know exactly how many dementors I should expect to bring back with me."

"The prison, then?" Regina intuits.

Harry nods and reaches out to take her hand. "Next stop, Azkaban."

With no more warning than that, he disapparates and when they touchdown again on a small dreary, fog-laden, island with grey soil and an ancient old gray battlement fortress surrounded by turbulent icy gray water, both Regina and Robin stagger slightly, bent at the waist, taken aback by the speed at which they have just traveled.

"Okay." Regina pants hoarsely as she swallows against a tide of rising bile and places two of the fingers of her right hand against her ringing ear. "That's a tad different here. We don't move quite that fast." She places a concerned hand on Robin's upper back, knowing that even her slower method of magical transport isn't his favorite way to travel. "You alright?"

Robin grits his teeth and swallows hard to keep from vomiting and shakes his head as if he's just been gut-punched unexpectedly. "My stomach just fell through the cellar floor, only to be immediately sling-shot back to its former place."

"I know. Mine doesn't feel too good either. Can you travel?"

"As long as I get to do it on foot." He rises to his full height and takes in the desolation that surrounds them. "Place could use a splash of color. Sparse as it is, even the grass is nearly monochrome."

Regina looks around, turning in a slow circle; a full 360°. "It's an island prison. I don't think the inmates are supposed to look out the windows and see anything that might, even remotely, give them hope."

She and Robin walk hand in hand toward the foreboding triangular detention building with Harry leading the way and Ron three steps behind them. When they are near enough to hear the faintest dull echoes of tortured screams, Regina hesitates for a mere flicker in time before forcing herself onward. She says not a word as Harry taps the towering colossal door four times in rapid succession. When a strange unfamiliar mechanical whirring sound is emitted from the base of the building, she steps back tentatively looking for the source of the sound.

Harry enlightens her. "In bad weather, the island is completely submerged. The waves hammer at the watertight walls, but we have to have a way to grant entry even in bad weather. There are intake valves and pumps built into the foundation to momentarily lower the water level before the doors open to prevent flooding." He steps in, holding the door open until Ron has passed through.

Inside the unfathomably tall structure, they find themselves in a kind of hollowed out shell of an atrium; the rising walls home to multiple stories of three one-man cells with dirty straw-covered floors. The place stinks of desperation, unwashed souls, and human waste. Each floor is gartered by gray austere railing that is no doubt meant to be high enough to keep lost souls from deliberately plummeting to their deaths. From the ground level entry, the top floor is unseen; shrouded in heavy gray mist that chills a body all the way to the bone, and dementors dart like evil things on dark gossamer wings in and out of the vast, seemingly endless, space above like hideous skeletonized birds of prey.

Unconsciously, Regina wraps her arms around herself trying to forcibly stop herself from shivering. When she feels the weight of Robin's jacket suddenly resting on her shoulders she's torn between the desire to huddle into it and the equally strong longing to tell him to put it back on himself, at least until she feels him wrap his arms around her, keeping her close as much for his own warmth as for hers.

She follows their guide being careful to remain close to the innermost wall, out of reach of the cell bars, until Harry attempts to escort her onto what she assumes is a lift. As the lift gates rise to grant them entry, a few of the unholy prison guards zero in on the arrival of fresh darkness and dive, swarming in Regina's direction. For one agonizing moment, she's truly terrified until a burst of brilliant white light erupts from the end Harry's wand. He shouts the unfamiliar incantation, "Expecto Patronum!" and suddenly the white light flows into the shape of a gloriously large stag before forming a protective magical shield around the four of them. It drives the ghastly predators up and away; screeching hideously with a mix of disappointment and rage.

Once they are all on what she thought was a lift platform and the gate is down, Harry turns to face the corner; the apex of two walls colliding and a new gateway materializes, suddenly detectable where it was not before, and they are admitted into what amounts to the office space for prison employees. Once they all cross the threshold, the door they entered disappears from view. Although she is familiar with undetectable extensions, and the charms that make them possible, Regina doesn't know whether to find the vanishing exit to be comforting, or entirely nerve-wracking. She doesn't notice until Harry lowers his wand that, at least, there are no dementors here.

At the front desk, he asks to speak with Warden Candlewalt.

Several minutes later, when the door opens to an inner office, Robin and Regina are surprised when a woman who is nearly 6-foot-tall steps out into the reception area with a wide thin-lipped smile and touches the platinum blonde knot of hair resting against the nape of her neck self-consciously as she greets their escorts. "Harry, Ron. Wonderful to see you both again. Who have you brought me today." She queries cheerfully with a heavy Hungarian accent, knowing very well that prisoners show up in full restraint, and not walking around freely. She knows, from years of experience that the aurors are simply giving at least one of their two companions an unofficial glimpse at life in Azkaban.

Regina instantly detests her. Something is very wrong with the woman before her. She's much too cheerful for someone who works in this cold, soul-rotting, hellhole.

Ron's smile is almost apologetic. "No one today, Mavis. We just need to know if you're missing any guards."

Mavis stomps her booted foot in frustration. "It's the most peculiar thing, Ronnie. One of them went missing the day before yesterday. Four more this morning. Wherever they are, they're completely off the grid. No one seems to know anything about it. But you boys know as well as I do, that the only way a dementor can travel beyond radar is to leave this realm, and the only way they can do that is via the underworld. The current regime swore not to allow them passage to any other realm, so either somebody new is in charge down there, or something very hinky is going on."

Regina smothers a wry chuckle when Ron makes a sour face over being called Ronnie even as the warden's words fall into place. The only available avenue for travel between realms open to a dementor is the underworld. That can't be true. It can't be possible. Hades wouldn't... But the Black Fairy would. Regina's thought process momentarily dead-ends and she almost does laugh out loud, catching herself just in the nick of time. Reaching out, touching Harry on the arm to get his attention, she says a polite but somewhat chilly "Pardon me one moment, warden." and whispers in Harry's ear; relaying what she knows."

"Hades wants the privilege of living, at least part-time, in Storybrooke. His brother, Zeus, agreed to a trial run provided he could find someone suitable to oversee the underworld in his absence. He chose the Black Fairy."

Harry squints and searches her face, trying to gauge the validity of her words. When nothing she's said strikes him as phony, or in any way, self-serving, he smiles and says, "Excuse us, Mavis. I'm afraid we have somewhere we need to be - immediately. Put the rest of them on lockdown. They do not leave the grounds. Is that clear?"

"Clear as crystal, Harry, darling."

Harry reverses direction quickly, leaving the same way he arrived. Once outside the office, both he and Ron shout the Patronus incantation and they are all once again shielded until they are outside the prison walls; the unrelenting cries of prisoners driven mad by their merciless keepers finally muffled once again by the sound of crashing waves.

Moving at a pace difficult to keep up with, Harry surprises them all when he rounds on his heel and glowers at Regina. "Why didn't you tell me Hades was in the market for a new home, and looking for a second in command?"

Not caring for his accusatory tone, Regina glares back "I just did. It wasn't a secret. I didn't mention it sooner because I didn't know I needed to. I didn't know it was relevant. I didn't know until yesterday that dementors even existed, much less that their only way out of this realm, and into another, is via the underworld. I'm learning as I go here."

Harry inhales deeply and runs his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Thank you for telling me. I apologize."

"I don't need you to apologize, Mr. Potter. I can deal with your anger and your suspicion. I'm quite used to encountering both. What I do need is for you to teach me that incantation that causes those vile things to retreat. What I need is for you to tell me how we're going to get five of them out of Storybrooke and back here where they belong without major loss of life."

Harry stares at her incredulously. "We? What? Are you saying you intend to help us capture them?"

Regina nods aggressively. "Two against five – those aren't good odds, Mr. Potter; not against those things. Storybrooke is my town. It's my job to protect it, and all its residents. If you'll teach me, I'll help."

He stares at her for another long moment, measuring the truth in her words. Making up his mind, he declares quietly, "Well. If we're going to stand shoulder to shoulder against darkness, Your Majesty, I think you'd better call me Harry."

"Regina." She offers simply. "In place of Your Majesty."

No sooner than he nods in agreement, she takes the lead. "Now can we please get the hell away from this place?"

Harry disapparates again, taking them along with him and, this time, Regina and Robin find themselves in the confines of Harry's small, but carefully furnished office. Inspired by Dumbledore's office from his years at Hogwarts, Harry's cluttered workspace is outfitted with a carved wooden desk, a pensive, and a bookshelf. In a glass display case are the many horcruxes that had to be destroyed in order to defeat Voldemort, as well as his collection of Gryffindor Quidditch trophies. Finally, next to one of the two windows, is a large perch with a moderately sized stone basin beneath it. Regina quickly takes all this in as Harry eyes her speculatively; something clearly on his mind.

"What?" She inquires with mild impatience. "Don't waste time, just ask."

Harry nods. "Back to our earlier conversation - Any chance that Zelena's child was conceived due to a momentary lapse in discretion; an empty meaningless one-night stand."

"Sorry, I'm afraid not. They are married. Why should that matter, though?"

"Tell me it's a marriage of convenience."

Regina shakes her head and shrugs. "Sorry, no dice."

"You're saying - what was it you called him, Lord Death? He loves her?"

"He's besotted. Gets drunk simply looking at her."

Ron cringes and Harry huffs in dismay.

"If she's in imminent danger will he attempt to sacrifice himself on her behalf?"

Robin nods. "I'd say that's likely."

Picking up the pace, Harry beckons to them. "No time to stand around talking. We better get moving. What do you need to get home, Regina?"

"A mirror large enough to step through."

"I think there's one here you'll find suitable."

"Why did you ask about the relationship between Zelena and Hades?"

Harry asks a question of his own. "The god of the underworld is a dark god, is he not?"

"The darkest of them all," Regina affirms.

"Gods are not typically known for self-recrimination. Generally speaking, they are an overconfident lot. If he's truly dark, he's not going to view any of his past acts as events that should cause him pain or grief. However, if he truly loves his wife, if he has let love in to light the recesses of his darkened soul…"

"That changes a person," Regina concludes for him. "Often in more profound ways than they, themselves, are aware of."

"Precisely. If he's a god, he's immortal, any idea how old he is?"

Regina laughs wryly and shrugs. "At least a few centuries, why?"

"Because that means he's had a lot of time to do a lot of very bad things and if he's starting to change; if there's even an inkling of doubt, a smidgen of guilt about any of the things he's done…If he tries to protect his wife…"

"Oh god!" Regina catches on and instantly quickens her pace. "He took his wife to Olympus last night for a little rest and relaxation after the dementor attacked. They were supposed to come back this morning. Robin and I, we arrived here late last night, deliberately. I wanted to come without him. He's got a temper, and he's not happy at the moment. I was afraid that wouldn't exactly work in our favor. I was afraid he would alienate everyone in his path. I knew, if we left without him, he wouldn't leave Zelena. Now, I wish we'd brought him."

"Why?" Robin questions, still only partially cognizant of the danger at hand."

"He's a centuries-old dark god who loves, Robin. Once you let that kind of light in - he may be beginning to form regrets about the life he's led. If one of those things tries to kiss him, because he's protecting Zelena, the power overload will either blow the dementor out of existence, taking god knows who with it, or Hades will be the best feast any dementor has ever tasted. If overload doesn't occur, the thing will become unstoppable. It nearly bested me yesterday. If it feeds on a god - if it takes in that kind of strength - it'll wipe Storybrooke, and everyone who lives there, out of existence."

Harry rummages through a cluttered desk drawer in search of a couple spare bits of parchment. He tosses one to Ron along with a quill that looks worn-down; nearly to the nub. Robin and Regina watch curiously as the two of them furiously scribble quick messages and then Harry rolls them both into a small tight spiral and crosses his cramped office to deliver the missives into the beak of an abnormally large gray owl with a lazy wandering left eye who sits at the ready in an enormous gilded cage. Harry carries the owl to the open window.

"Tell the girls we won't be home for dinner. There's one for Ginny and one for Hermione. Go. Fly, Alistair." Harry lifts his arm and sends the owl soaring. Closing and locking the window, he says over his shoulder, "Ron, run down the hall, grab your go-bag, fast as you can." Before he's through speaking the redheaded man is already gone.

With a few seconds to spare, and he gives his wand a wave and magically tidies up some of the disarray in his office.

Robin watches displaced items levitate and fly about, putting themselves away with a mix of mild confusion and humor while Regina is noticeably less impressed with all of it except for the small mound of ash shifting and forming its shape in the stone basin beneath the perch. As she watches, with purely awestruck light shining in her eyes that sweetly reminds Robin of their daughter, a tiny newborn winged creature emerges, shakes ashes from black feathers that are slowly going red and hops up onto the empty perch waiting there for it.

Regina lets Robin know, "It's a phoenix. They are reborn from their own ashes. I've read about them. I've never had the pleasure of seeing one. They are excruciatingly rare."

"Her name is Tonks." Harry gently caresses the small bird's head with his index finger just as Ron re-enters the room.

per Harry's direction, Ron closes and locks the office door behind himself, as his fellow auror opens the door to a large armoire that is badly in need of a good dusting. Mounted to the inside of one of the doors, is a narrow full-length mirror. He reaches in momentarily and pulls out a hefty knapsack, tossing both straps over one shoulder, he gestures to the mirror. "You may have to step through sideways, but will this do?"

Regina touches the mirror and frowns when there's no response other than the corresponding movements of her reflection. It'll do, Harry, but if you want to get through, you're going to have to take this cuff off my ankle." She silently thinks about the spare bit of magic she imbued Robin's ring with and decides to keep that to herself. Her eyes seek and find her husband's in the mirror and she instantly knows that his thoughts are running along the same track as her own. She doesn't shake her head, but he understands her silent communication just the same. She turns, raising an eyebrow. "Unless you're familiar with the principles of traveling by mirror."

"I can't say that I am." Harry hesitates briefly before giving his wand a gentle flick.

Inside her boot, Regina instantly feels the light pressure of the cuff vanish and before she can blink, the device is in Harry's hand.

"Everybody hold the hand of the person who goes through before you. Do not let go until you are completely through." Regina touches the mirror and her reflection undulations like ripples in a pond. It takes several seconds for her reflection to go completely dark and then be replaced by a new image that neither Harry or Ron is familiar with. However, after only a single beat, both men instinctively know that something is wrong when both the queen and her altruistic thief frown at the sight of two worried boys and an obviously frightened small girl plainly visible on the other side of the looking glass.

"They're in the vault?" Robin questions, even though he can see them clearly.

"Why are they in there?" Regina looks to him. "Henry knows they aren't allowed in there unsupervised – Robin, they all know that, even Norah! Henry wouldn't be in there without a reason."

Robin nods. "But how did they get in there, to begin with? You're still sealing it with blood magic, right? Neither Henry or Roland should be able to open the door."

Regina closes her eyes as panic seeps in through every pore in her flesh. "No, neither of them can, but Norah can. She's so young, she wouldn't understand how to do it yet. Henry would have to take her to the door and tell her to touch it while making sure to keep himself and Roland away from it. Obviously, that's what he's done, the question is why? He knows he's not allowed in there." She repeats. "He certainly knows that Roland and Norah don't need to be in there. He has to be protecting them, Robin. The only way he would take his brother and sister in there without my approval is if inside the vault is safer than whatever's outside the vault."


	15. Chapter 15

Leading the way, Regina simultaneously side steps into one mirror and out of another. She arrives in her vault with Harry and Ron trailing behind and Robin at the rear. The two newcomers watch patiently as both Robin and Regina are welcomed home with enthusiasm.

"Mom, Regina, Daddy!" The children call out; the two older rushing forward as the littlest one complains sweetly, "Henr-yyyy, Lemme go, Daddy's back!"

Hugging Roland first to give her oldest time to pass his little sister off, Regina breathes a heavy sigh of relief as she catches sight of someone not seen through the mirror. "Oh good, Daddy, you're here."

The elderly king smiles amiably, deliberately keeping his tone light and comfortable. "I've nowhere else to be just now. As a veiled warning, he offers, "I tried to get your sister to come with us…"

As she looks around, Regina touches young Henry's shoulder in appreciation for his care of his younger siblings and kisses her daughter's forehead, briefly opening her arms, offering to take the girl who refuses with the adamant shake of her head; sending short dark curls fluttering the instant before she nestles deeper into her father's arms. "I guess she declined to come." Regina sighs, knowing without asking that there's certainly trouble beyond the safety of these walls.

"That she did. And, quite colorfully too, I might add. Foolish girl. She went off to try to deal with that thing."

Regina stares hard. "Daddy, what do you mean she went off to try to deal with that thing? You don't mean on her own?"

"I'm afraid that is precisely what I mean. Hades brought her down from Olympus. They left Eliana there temporarily because she was playing with some young family members close to her own age and wasn't ready to leave yet. Hades and Zelena went straight to the underworld. As best I could understand what your sister later relayed, Hades is rather furious with his executive officer. Apparently these dementors can only travel realm to realm courtesy of the underworld. However, Hades has agreed to an embargo restricting the travel of dementors. Fiona failed to honor that embargo. It's not quite clear which one of them is using which, but Fiona has aligned herself with someone your sister referred to as an asylum reject; someone she called Bella. Also, Hades apparently possesses some sort of magical box that is quintessentially a trap for the dementor. Zelena helped herself to the box and left her husband to pass judgment on the guilty. Despite my best effort to convince her otherwise, she's out there chasing after that thing, intent on trapping it all by herself."

Dread paralyzes Regina for a single second. The next, she springs into action. She glances at Harry. "We've got to go now! She's going to get herself killed!" Already moving toward the exit that will take them above ground, she motions rapidly toward their visitors. "Daddy, this is Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley from the Rowlingshire realm, home of the dementor. They've come to lend a hand. Gentlemen, this is my father, King Henry of Covarachia."

Henry waves politely, understanding their need to hurry away. "Forgive me for being abrupt gentlemen, but there will be time enough for us to become acquainted later. If you've come to lend a hand, I'm afraid you're each going to need both - and then some. Emma just reported, there may be as many as five of them now."

"I was afraid of that." Regina says with regret as a wide-eyed Norah tells her father. "Too many, Daddy. Too many ugly monsters."

Robin rubs her back affectionately. "Don't be scared. You're okay. My little firefly is safe here, and Mama brought our new friends to help get rid of the ugly monsters. You stay here with Papa and the boys. We're going to go have a little conversation with those ugly brutes."

When she resists, Robin must forcibly hand his daughter over to his father-in-law.

"No Daddy!" Norah wails pitifully; reaching for him with outstretched arms.

"We have to go. People need our help. You'll see me in just a few minutes; I promise. Stay here, mind your grandfather, and hands off! Don't touch any of Mama's magic things."

As Regina waves goodbye from the top of the stairs, Norah folds her arms over her chest; sulking as Henry and Roland manage to look concerned but confident, and her father smiles with pride as worries that he keeps silent deepen the lines around his eyes. "Head toward Granny's. You'll find them." He calls out in parting as she and the men rush to the mausoleum doors in the room above.

Once outside, Regina pauses only long enough to seal the doors; magically locking her loved ones inside. When that's done, she wastes no time taking Robin's hand in hers and instructing Ron and Harry, "Follow me."

Ron stares agog for ½ a second when she disappears in a swirling vortex of purple smoke He stares until Harry grabs him by the collar and disapparates hastily before there is time to lose his sense of her location.

* * *

Regina and Robin materialize in front of the Storybrooke mural on the patio outside of Granny's with Harry and Ron three seconds behind them. Though she isn't surprised to find Main Street abandoned, she wishes she had found differently. It's midmorning. The heart of Storybrooke is usually alive with activity and heavily populated this time of day. She opens the door to Granny's and pokes her head in to find the old woman behind the counter with only two patrons to serve.

"Granny…"

Before Regina can say more, the old wolf tosses a bar towel over her shoulder, places her hands on her matronly hips, and gets right down to business; quickly glossing over any of the usual pleasantries. "Bout time you got back, Mayor. Head toward the dock. Trouble went that way."

Regina nods. "Thanks, Bev." She closes the door and sets out on foot, motioning for the rest of her group to follow. They stride quickly, the four of them shoulder to shoulder, down the center of Main Street.

Henry acknowledges regrettably, "I haven't even had time to teach you anything about the Patronus."

Regina thinks it over briefly and shrugs. "I may not know how to conjure anything like that impressive stag you displayed, but I think I understand the basics. Darkness draws them in. Light repels them. I scared off one yesterday. I can do it again today. Though, I can't handle five of them, not my own."

"Whatever you did yesterday, do it again. Ron and I will help, but we will need a few seconds to set the traps, especially if all five of them are gathered together. We can perform the Patronus if need be, but all that will do is scatter them. It will not capture them."

"I can buy you a few seconds."

"I'm sure that will be essential to our success. Since you disapparate slightly differently than we do, I'm betting magic is different than what we're used to here. We can do it, but we'll need time to compensate for that difference." With just a hint of apology in his words, he admits, "I usually like to have more of a plan in place before going into these things. Not that anything ever goes according to plan – "

Regina nods in understanding. "It's okay. Nothing ever goes according to plan here either. We're used to doing things on the fly."

Three blocks from Main Street the docks come into view along with a sight that causes Regina's heart to accelerate into overdrive and drum loud and harsh inside her ribcage; pumping oxygen-rich blood to her legs as she breaks into a dead run.

Zelena is 50 yards ahead, and down. Laying on her back, on the edge of the dock, about to go over the side with two dementors hovering over her and Emma is a few feet away preparing to blast the things.

Regina yells. "Emma wait! Don't do it!"

Both Emma and Zelena glance her way in profound confusion as the dementors seem to stall momentarily.

"What the bloody hell you mean, don't do it?" Zelena shouts with equal parts fear and anger as her unborn child activates his protective bubble once again. "Have you lost your mind, or do you just want to stand there and watch them kill me?"

Regina ignores her sister's heated words. The element of surprise gives her the extra second she needs to act. Stepping up beside Emma, she raises both hands and unleashes massive amounts of darkness effectively claiming the attention of one dementor. Doggedly, the other remains focused on its original target. Forming a plan in an instant, Regina informs Harry and Ron, "I got this one. You two, help Zelena. To Emma, she says, "They have a trap they need to set up." Regina points to him as she yells, "Follow Harry's lead."

Emma nods. "What about you?" She asks as the dementor glides intimately close, invading Regina's personal space. "What are you going to do?"

Shivering against the encroaching chill of death, Regina lowers one hand long enough to roughly shove her husband a few steps away. Making meaningful eye contact with Emma, she asks, "Remember the Chernabog?"

Emma squints in confusion for a mere second before understanding flickers in her eyes. "Regina no! She objects to late. Even before the words out of her mouth Regina turns her full attention to the hovering hideous black specter of death and whispers provocatively, "You wanna dance? Just you and me; Let's go." Before the dementor can flee, or even react, a spinning vortex of purple smoke envelops both it and the mayor. They disappear and reappear sporadically as they go, like some half-seen apparition appearing fleetingly in the corner of the unsuspecting eye. They struggle and fight, one against the other, each of them grappling for the upper hand until they can be seen no more.

"Bloody hell!" Robin roars in anger as Emma throws up a kind of magical blockade, effectively trapping the remaining dementor between it and the white light erupting from the end of Harry's wand.

Unable to either attack or flee, caught between two layers of light, the ghastly creature moans, howls, and screeches as if it's enduring unspeakable torture.

Emma casts a fleeting glance in Robin's direction. "if she lives, you can kick your wife's ass later. We'll hold him. Get Zelena out of the way, and then help Carrot Top set up the trap."

Zelena grouses. "Don't touch me. I can get myself out of the way, thank you very much!"

Robin shrugs, as Ron extracts two small boxes, each of them half the size of a shoebox from his knapsack and opens one before gently tossing it to Robin who is standing three feet to his left. Following his example, Robin places the box on the ground and backs slowly away as Ron lifts his wand.

"Hold steady, blondie." Ron instructs before informing Harry, "Ready when you are, mate."

The two wizards catch the dementor and imprison it between the magical streams emitting from their wands. Struggling as if they each fight with someone four times their size, they force the dark thing down as it pitches left and right; casting about side to side and up and down relentlessly until Emma catches on and shrinks the size and altitude of her barrier, giving the trapped thing less room to maneuver, less room to fight.

It screeches pitifully, it's noise fading slowly as it loses ground and strength until it finally appears to be caught in a downdraft and gets sucked into the box. After a blinding flash of light, the box slams shut, trembles, and gives the appearance that it is burping as if it now suffers from a bad case of indigestion.

Harry and Ron lower their wands and Emma doubles over, momentarily placing her hands on her knees. Robin wastes no time snatching up the remaining box. "Where the hell did she go?"

Emma pants breathlessly. "Town line."

Harry and Ron squint. "Why?" they ask in unison as Robin places a hand on her shoulder and demands. "Take me there."

Nodding and placing a casual arm around Robin, Emma explains. "She's gonna force it over."

"Over the town line?" Ron queries. "What bloody good is that going to do." And Harry squints. "Exactly, how is she going to force that thing to cross the town line?"

Emma starts to speak then shakes her head. "You wouldn't believe me if I'd told you. It's better you see it yourself." She tilts her head in a – follow me – gesture the instant before magically relocating both herself and Robin.

* * *

Arriving a mere ten feet from the road sign that announces, "Leaving Storybrooke." Emma and Robin, Ron, Harry, and Zelena stare, momentarily stunned as they watch Regina, stumble and spin not one, but two dementors around in the necessary direction. With her left hand, she uses light magic to repel the things; keeping them a safe distance away from herself. With her right hand, she casts a wide half-sphere of dark magic around behind them; holding them close, locking them in, and forcing them to retreat in the path of her choosing. She walks slowly, driving the dementors back an inch at a time.

"Holy cricket!" Ron exclaims in quiet awe; sounding very much like his wife. "Harry, She's a… She's a…"

Harry grins in response to the spectacle before them. "She a shadow caster, Ron."

Ron nods; mesmerized. "Yeah, that!" He whispers breathlessly.

Harry lifts his wand and Ron and Emma join in; adding their own barrier of light, which they stretch the entire width of the road and beyond. They expand it further, higher than what Regina can manage on her own while splitting her strength between the light in the dark. When the ghastly creatures are right up against the town line with nowhere else to go but over, Regina drops the dark arc behind them and allows white power to flow from both raised palms in a final dazzling burst as they glide screeching over the town line that is spray-painted a bold shade of orange, and instantly turn to ash that descends slowly and settles in a pile on the road before it disintegrates and completely disappears from existence.

Several seconds elapse before Ron can find the words to ask, "Where'd they go?"

"Into oblivion," Robin says simply.

Emma supplies a bit more. "There's no magic beyond the town line. Therefore…"

"Therefore, magical creatures cannot exist beyond the town line." Harry catches on.

Regina nods weakly as she pants. "One of them was here waiting when I transported in. Probably standing guard in case Zelena decided to leave town. You get yours?"

By way of reply, Ron holds up and gently shakes, the occupied box.

Regina removes her hands from her knees and straightens her spine. Tiredly, she says, "Three down; two to go."

Before anyone can agree or object, heavy dark clouds roll in, obscuring the sun and blue fire erupts out of the dark oily shadow that materializes on the ground the instant before Hades blinks himself into town.

Not caring that they have an audience both he and Robin glare at their wives and demand simultaneously to know, "What the hell were you thinking?"


	16. Chapter 16

Standing in the middle of the road, in full view of their audience, Zelena's temper bubbles hotly and boils over. "I was only trying to catch the thing. How dare you yell at me!"

Unmoved, Hades roars "I'm yelling because you went off without all the facts. You had no idea what you were walking into. You could have been killed!"

Feeling much the same way, but unable to get a word in edgewise for all the noise his in-laws are making, Robin continues to glare at his own wife.

Regina watches him for a long moment, silently aware of his unexpressed indignation, before she turns to her sister and brother-in-law. "Guys, we're all a little on edge. Now's not really the time."

"Butt out, Regina! Hades snaps as his wife tosses her a look of pure disdain. "Oh, shove off, Sis!"

"Bollocks!" Robin declares loudly. "Look!" He points at his wife aggressively. "I'm not happy with her right now either! But she's right! There are two more of those things somewhere out here. We can either stand here and rip each other to shreds, or we can decide what to do about it. We can't do both - not at the same time. So, you two, either stow it; or go home!"

Green swirling vapor instantly materializes at Zelena's feet, but before she can disappear, her husband reaches out and grabs her arm, anchoring her in place. "He's right."

Zelena scoffs.

"Look I want to set a trap for the remaining two. I need some answers, and I won't get them if we simply force the other two to just up and leave. It's not enough just to know that they're after you. I need to know why." He turns his attention to Regina. "I saw what you did. Thank you. Thank you… and, I owe you an apology. I've been wrong. You haven't lost a single step; not one. Very impressive Regina."

Regina shakes her head in disgust. "Do me a favor, Hades. Stop appreciating my abilities. I think I like you better when you are doubting, belittling, and calling them into question."

Thoroughly confused, the dark god squints.

"I ended a life; two of them actually. I killed today. That isn't something that should be congratulated or celebrated."

"You think what you did was wrong? He whispers with incredulity. "You saved your sister's life!"

With her hands on her hips, Regina steps closer, glaring at him. "First, I didn't do it alone. Everyone here helped. Second, unlike you, I have rarely doubted and never forgotten the dark things I am capable of. I think what I did was necessary. And, if need be, I will not hesitate to do it again. But just because something is necessary, Hades, does not always mean it's right. Those two words are not interchangeable. They have entirely different definitions.

"Semantics, Regina."

"Maybe so, Hades, but just a few short years ago someone could've used the exact same semantics as justification for ending my life. So, excuse me if that gives me a moment's pause."

Zelena shrugs. "I don't need to know why they are after me. I say, let's just kill them and be done with it. This is the second time they've tried. I've had enough!"

"It's that kind of thinking that nearly ended your life five minutes ago, Zelena."

"What? I'm not supposed to defend myself, my child?"

"Of course, you are. But, we barely escaped yesterday with three against one. You knew that, and still,

you went after two more alone and unarmed today."

"I was not unarmed. I took one of the boxes while Hades was screaming at Fiona. It just so happened that those things came up out of the water. I was only expecting one to come from above. I jumped back, lost my footing, and the box went over the side into the water. If Emma hadn't come along when she did…"

"Which is exactly why your husband is mad with you. Your magic is useless against those things. They are attracted to your magic and you go after one of them all alone, without being fully informed, pregnant, with nothing more to protect you than a box? Learn to let people help you, Zelena. You'll live longer!"

Regina's older sister nods and gestures to Robin. "And, he's mad at you because?"

"Pretty much for the same damn reason!"

"Okay then!" Zelena returns fire sarcastically.

Sign heavily, Regina turns to Emma and gestures to the rest of the group. "My house? In 20 minutes? We'll go over what we know; make a game plan. Bring your parents?"

Emma nods without comment.

"Harry, Ron; Robin and I need just a few minutes to swing by the vault and pick up our kids. Emma will show you the way. Emma Swan, meet Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. Stay close to them in case you bump into the other two. We'll meet you all at the barn."

* * *

Less than ten minutes later, when Robin and Regina magically arrive home with their family, Robin stands on the back porch and quietly complains as he attempts to place his daughter in Regina's father's arms. "If at all possible, I'd like not to have to do that again today."

Norah stubbornly shakes her head. "No, I wanna stay with Daddy."

Robin offers her his smile and musses her hair affectionately. "I'll be inside in just a few minutes. You go inside now with Papa and your brothers. I'd like a moment alone to talk with Mama."

Norah passes a suspicious look between her parents; one that gets her grandfather's curiosity up as well. "Why? Is Mama in trouble?"

Robin chuckles as he lowers her to the floor and sets her gently on her feet. "If you don't go in the house, little lady, you're going to be the one in trouble."

Lending persuasion, Henry smiles. "Come on Norah, let's go. You can beat me at a game of chess."

"My rules or yours, Papa" The little girl wants to know.

"How about one with mine and one with yours?"

"Okay, my way first!" Norah calls out happily, as she jets into the house on her way to her grandfather's study and the chessboard she knows is waiting there.

Robin laughs quietly. "One of these days, he's going to have to stop letting her make up her own rules for the game."

Regina faces him from a few feet away and leans casually against one of the support beams for the porch roof. "He will. Soon enough. She's young. He's just trying to keep her interested in the game. He's trying to teach her something about strategy, cause and effect, diplomacy, and human behavior. He started doing the same thing with me when I was about her age."

"All important fields of study if you're going to run a kingdom someday?"

"Yes, but those same lessons are also helpful if you're just trying to make it through everyday life."

"And who's going to teach her everything else she needs to know, if you are not here. I cannot raise that little girl by myself, Regina."

For a long quiet moment, she tilts her head to one side and simply studies him. When, at last, she does speak, she does so barely above a whisper. First, I'm confident that if you had to, you could. You just don't want to. Second…"

"Am I supposed to want to?"

"Of course not, Robin."

"Why does it always have to be you?"

"It doesn't. It's not always me. And you know it. I'm not the only person in this town would ever goes up against something dark. What did you want me to do? Turn my back? Walk away? Robin…"

"No. You can't do that. I know. I'd be disappointed if you did."

"So then, what are we talking about, here?" She offers him a pained apologetic look. "What do you want? An absolute? A guarantee that nothing bad as ever going to happen? I can't give you those, and you know that too."

"I just… I just need to know that you're okay."

She nods. Today wasn't as bad as yesterday. I've learned how to shield myself from those horrid things. I'd still like to learn how they do it, but…"

"That's not what I mean, Regina."

At a loss, she raises an eyebrow and shakes her head in uncertainty. "What do you mean?"

"That night in the underworld, five years ago. You were angry at Hades and your sister for causing me pain. You almost cast your first shadow. You slept for days after. You stronger now. You've had time to get acquainted with it and, even so, right now, you still look like you're about to collapse. I talked to your father that night. He said that most people who - who do what you do – they are unstable at best. The constant unrelenting pull of the light against the dark. He said that people who don't outright ignore their magical ability usually become overburdened and reckless. And because of that, they don't usually live long."

Regina inhales deeply, lifting her chin as understanding seeps in. "Robin… I promise you, I am not suicidal. I am not so tired that I literally have a death wish. Harry asked me to buy him a few seconds time. But, there wasn't a lot of time to be bought out there, today. So, I did what I could. I lightened his load. That's all."

"I heard you talking to that thing. Like you were ready, like you couldn't wait to be alone with it."

Regina chuckles softly. "Is that what's got you so turned around – so worked up?" She pushes away from the porch railing and slowly closes the distance between them; wrapping her arms around him. "I thought you knew. I thought you understood. That's just a mask. It's just bravado. The truth is I was scared witless, but if I don't hide that – especially from those damned dementors – I'll choke to death on it, Robin. Never let them see you sweat."

"Usually I do know." He smiles sadly. "But today." He shakes his head. "After seeing that place. After seeing you there."

"Azkaban? Yeah, not my favorite experience either."

"I guess I started thinking, what happens if we lose you. The boys would be devastated. And me, But Norah… She'd lose more than she's even capable of understanding. She's so strong, so powerful. She doesn't even know what to do with all the power that's running around inside her. But it's part of who she is. If she loses you, who's going to teach her how to embrace all that, and how to utilize it in the best way possible."

"I'm with you always, Robin. I know you know that. How many times have we said that to each other?"

"I know, but I would just prefer not to have death be one of the obstacles we have to work our way around."

"Me too. But, if that does happen one day, Norah is going to be fine. She has you. If I'm not here to do it, you'll teach her."

"I'd love to know how you think I'm going to do that. I'm not equipped."

"Yes, you are. Why do you think you're not? Because you don't have magic. Robin that doesn't matter. You don't need it. Magic is something that is inside her. Sorting it all out might be a little easier with me here, but ultimately what to do with it, and how to use it; Robin, those are things she has to decide for herself. All she needs you to do is teach her the difference between wrong and right, and love her. Everything else will come in its own time. I promise." She offers him a light kiss. "Well, that and you might want to buy a fire extinguisher. At some point, you're probably going to need one."

Robin chuckles. "I've already got ½ dozen of them, at least."

Regina squints. "You have half a dozen fire extinguishers?"

"I live with you! And her! Fire is one thing I am ready for."

* * *

Zelena slams the bedroom door and engages the lock magically. She paces for all of 3 seconds before she turns and sees she's not alone. "Get out!" She shouts; realizing that Hades has let himself in courtesy of his own godly powers.

"No!" He stands his ground; blue flames leaping from the top of his head, his arms crossed over his chest, with his feet spread slightly apart as though he is both, issuing a challenge, and bracing himself for impact. "I will not get out! I'm going to stand right here until you decide to be rational and talk to me about this!"

Zelena hurls a massive fireball, setting the draperies on fire and narrowly missing her husband's head by less than a ¼ inch.

Hades doesn't even flinch. He simply waves a hand, magically extinguishing the flames.

Zelena growls in disgust. "That's not fair!" She gestures wildly at the draperies that have been fully restored.

Her husband shrugs, not at all concerned with fairness of the moment. "I am not going to let you burn the room down around us just because you're angry."

"I am not angry! I am furious!" She glares with unfettered hostility.

"Be furious then. I just don't understand why you couldn't wait. I went down there to get information."

You weren't getting information. She wasn't telling you anything. You were just getting a thrill out of torturing her."

"She would have talked if you had just waited."

"Oh, sure! Hades, she would've said anything just to get you to stop. What makes you think you can trust one word that bitch says. I'm tired of waiting. I want something done now! If Regina's right – if they are after me, I don't have a clue why. I've never been to their realm. I've never encountered those things before. I've never done anything to piss them off.

"I've never said that I trust her, Zelena. That's why I want to trap them – make them talk. So we can find out what's going on."

"It's taking too long! What if they're not after me at all." She stops shouting and splays her hands protectively over her swollen belly "Hades, what if it's the baby they want?"

She lifts her chin, and for the first time, he catches a glimpse of the fear that is carefully hidden behind the rage in her eyes.

"Look. I'm sorry okay. You're right. I shouldn't have acted so impulsively, but I'm tired and uncomfortable, and the baby is cranky and - those things – what they do. It's horrific."

"So, don't go charging after them. Especially not without all the facts. I'm going to handle this Zelena. I am going to handle it my way. I promise you and our children, I will keep you safe, but that's going to be a lot harder to accomplish if you're running around like some sort of emotionally overcharged, hell-bent, one-woman execution squad."

Her blue eyes suddenly sparkle with wicked delight. She raises an eyebrow and purses her lips in thought. "You're going to make them pay?"

Hades crosses the room and pulls her slowly into his heated embrace. "They're going to pay dearly." He whispers the moment before his lips find hers.

* * *

Precisely twenty-six minutes after leaving them at the town line, Robin answers the knock at his front door carrying a glass water and a bottle of aspirin to find Emma, Harry, and Ron, waiting there on the front porch with Snow, David, and Hook also present.

"Thanks for coming." He steps back from the door, inviting them in.

"Of course, we came." Snow answers with assurance before raising a concerned eyebrow. "Headache?"

Robin glances at the items he holds in his left hand as if he has momentarily forgotten about them and shakes his head. "This isn't for me."

Snow gently pats her young son on the back; rocking slightly side to side as she says. "If the game plan for how to deal with these dementors is going to involve a trip anywhere, we're going to have to drop Neal off with the fairies first."

As they leave the foyer, stepping into the great room Henry, Sr. calls out as he descends from the third-floor landing of the grand staircase. "That's no trouble, Snow. Neal is more than welcome to go with me when I take our bunch to visit the abbey."

Ron's eyes widen with delight. "Pardon me, but did His Majesty just call you Snow?"

The king nods. "But of course. That is her name. And, I would prefer you call me Henry in place of His Majesty. Emma," He shifts his gaze. "Didn't you introduce your parents?"

"Well, yes she did." Ron chuckles. "But, she was rather in a hurry. She only referred to them as Mom and Dad."

Emma grins sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Here in Storybrooke, they're known as David and Mary Margaret Nolan. In the Enchanted Forest, they're more commonly known as Snow White and Prince Charming."

Ron stares in amazement while Harry chuckles quietly in surprise and makes an attempt to be more discreet.

"Rose and Lily are never going to believe this." Ron shakes his head.

"Oh yes, they will!" Harry laughs, "They'll believe it, and be sore at us for not bringing them along."

David surmises. "Let me guess – Rose and Lily must be your daughters, and for them, my wife is probably just a fairy tale princess."

"I'm afraid so." Harry begins. "We'll happily correct that as soon as we can."

As Robin nears the chair his wife is resting in, Ron speaks up again. "Hang on. If you're Snow White – then that makes her…" He pauses to point. "Your stepmother?"

Emma's mother nods. "At one point, yes. But back then we were family by marriage only – and neither of us was very happy about that fact. Now we're friends."

Emma eyes Regina's extremely relaxed posture and turns her incredulous gaze to Robin once more. "Is she asleep?"

Robin simply nods without comment, and although he does not bother to shake her, he places a still hand gently on his wife's shoulder and patiently waits for her to respond. It takes five long seconds for her eyes to open, but when they do, Regina smiles at her husband as he hands her the glass of water and removes the lid from the bottle of aspirin, shaking two into his palm and silently offering them to her.

Regina downs the aspirin quickly, and then sets the glass aside on the small ornately carved end table beside her high-backed Queen Anne style armchair upholstered in a soft pale shade of gold that somehow seems to contrast and yet simultaneously soften the room's harder surfaces; like the stone fireplace, the expanse of unadorned floor to ceiling plate glass windows, and the exposed redwood beams high overhead in the converted octagonal shaped building's rafters.

Rising to her feet, she asks, "Kitchen? Anyone else want a cup of tea?"

Snow offers, "You make the tea; I'll make the sandwiches. We'll have a quick and simple lunch while we talk. Are Zelena and Hades here yet?"

Regina turns to Robin, and Robin shakes his head.

"They'll be here, but it'll probably be another 20 minutes or so."

Snow studies her face and realizes she doesn't seem at all concerned. "Emma filled us in at our place. You're not worried one or both of those dementors is giving them trouble?"

Regina shrugs as she shakes her head. "Possible, but not probable. Turns out, when you have a sister, even one you don't always get along with, or even particularly like; you share things."

Stepping through the wide archway, of a large spacious kitchen that boasts an 18th century stone fireplace alongside all the conveniences of modern appliances, everyone else gathers around the heavy carved oak dining table; helping themselves to chairs while Snow passes her son to his father before she and Regina set to work at the granite island countertop with their appointed tasks.

Harry observes patiently. Keeping his thoughts to himself. Snow wasn't kidding or exaggerating when she called them friends. Without needing to ask where anything is located, she makes her way around Robin and Regina's kitchen as if it is as familiar to her as her own indicating that she does, indeed, spend a great deal of time here.

"You share things…" Snow reminds her as Regina busies herself with the tea kettle.

Their hostess nods. "She and Hades were both angry when they left us at the town line. Let's just say they're both rather passionate people. They have a tendency to argue heatedly and loudly. They also get easily – Oh, let's call it - sidetracked. It's going to take them a few minutes to square things, but they will show up."

Robin takes point, leading the conversation with, "Hades said he wants to trap the remaining two and try to get some information from them. Any suggestions on how we should go about doing that safely? Is it even possible to do that?" He asks the group as a whole but gives the lion's share of his attention momentarily to Harry and Ron.

Emma quietly interrupts with a quick question. "Excuse me, but… Regina are you okay to do this now?"

Regina nods and raises an eyebrow. "Why do you ask? What's on your mind, Swan?"

"Sixty seconds ago you were asleep. Do we need to put this off until tomorrow?"

Regina shakes her head adamantly. First, I don't think that would be wise. Second, what's the matter, you've never heard of a ten-minute power nap?"

"I've heard of them. I just didn't know you took them." Emma declares as if she's suddenly questioning Regina's stamina.

"You take up shadow casting. You'll develop a whole new appreciation."

"It's physically taxing then?" Harry wants to know.

"Physically, yes. Also, mentally and emotionally. When I first realized I had the power to do it, it was wholly unexpected I was entirely unprepared. I slept for two days after my initial experience. That was almost five years ago. I'm better equipped now. But it is still draining. I've learned to rest whenever I can."

"Here. Try some of this." He approaches the counter after removing a small metal tin from his knapsack.

When he opens the lid, Regina peers in curiously. "Chocolate? I'm not usually much for sweets."

"It will help and a little bit goes a long way. In our realm, we magically imbue all chocolate recipes with healing properties."

Regina eyes him curiously, before accepting and sampling a small piece. She expects to have to wait awhile and is mildly surprised when she notices a slight lightening of fatigue and tension almost immediately. After a few seconds, she admits, I've heard people refer to chocolate as a band-aid before, but this is the first time I've ever taken the comment seriously. That's not bad." She helps herself to a second, slightly larger, piece and breaks it into quarters as she closes the tin. "Thank you. Aside from learning to do the Patronus charm, I may need a recipe for this."

"That good?" Robin questions.

Regina nods. "So far, and it's rather fast-acting."

Harry smiles. "I'll teach you if you still want me to, but judging from what I've seen, I'm not sure you need it."

"Although I'm not used to using a wand routinely, it looks to me like the Patronus can be just as effective, and it might be less of a strain on me. Shadow casting is something that has to be done with a prodigious amount of discretion. In the first place, it's painful. Secondly, is exceedingly easy to do it wrong, and doing it wrong can have cataclysmic results. So, if you're willing to teach me an equally effective alternative for shielding myself from those terrible things, I'm all for it."

We do have witches and wizards in Rowlingshire who can access many of their magical abilities without the benefit of a wand. However, most do use them. In my experience, the ones who use wands the least are usually the more experienced, more seasoned, witches and wizards."

"I have one. But, in truth, I am more comfortable working without it. I personally would prefer not to have to concentrate all my power through the end of a wand. Plus, I had a rather nasty experience with one as a child. Given that fact, I've never really been comfortable with my own. So, I'm afraid I'm somewhat average when it comes to wand welding, and I've always been concerned that it might be just a bit too easy to disarm a less than proficient user."

Harry nods. "Alright, I'll set aside some time to give you a few pointers, and a bit of practice with the Patronus. Who here with us is magical besides yourself and Emma?" He watches the others shake their heads.

Zelena does have magic, and her dark magic is even more potent than mine, but it's not going to be of any use to her against a dementor. So far, she's been attacked twice, and her baby seems to do his part to protect himself and her. He is a demigod, but he's still a baby. An unborn baby at that. I'm not sure how many more times we can expect Zelena to survive the use of such power. She's mortal. Every time the baby taps in, it puts a strain on her which endangers not only her life but his as well. I don't know. She's about halfway through the pregnancy. He may be viable, but if he is, he's just barely there."

Ron nods. "That's a primary concern. If someone is after your sister's baby, they may be waiting for him to become viable. So far, they've had two goes at her. Those may have been nothing more than test runs to see what they're up against."

Harry squints and looks pointedly at Regina. "I'm getting the sense that you deliberately avoided mentioning that Zelena and your sister are one and the same until after we were already here."

Regina shrugs unabashedly. "Yes, I did. Tell me you wouldn't have been less willing to offer assistance had I not deliberately avoided mentioning it. Tell me it would not have been harder to get you here if you'd known beforehand that the person who needed your help the most is the Wicked Witch."

"Touchè. I would've been duty bound to come, but I admit, decidedly less willing."

"Hades says he wants to trap one of them," Regina repeats her husband's earlier statement, pulling the conversation back around to the beginning. "Well, we already have one trapped. We need to trap the other two before we leave town, just to keep people safe, but it seems to me the best place to interrogate the thing might be the underworld since, theoretically, they aren't supposed to leave there. Given the fact that five of them have been allowed to do just that, I'd say it's rather obvious that our problem, whoever is behind it, originated there."

Harry nods, and Ron follows suit as he says, "We are with you so far. And I'd like to either, confirm or disprove a suspicion I have."

"Oh?"

"Yes, earlier, your father mentioned that Fiona who, if I understand correctly, is currently overseeing things in the underworld has apparently aligned herself with an unbalanced woman by the name of Bella. I'm concerned that Bella could possibly be Bellatrix Lestrange."

Regina raises an eyebrow, noticing that Ron suddenly looks as if he's on the verge of vomiting.

"Oh brother!" He complains. Having to deal with her in life wasn't enough? We have to deal with her in death too?"

"Maybe not, Ron." Harry cautions. She can't be the only person in all the realms commonly referred to as Bella."

"Maybe not, Harry, but the mentally unbalanced part would sure fit."

"True, but let's confirm as opposed to jumping to conclusions."

"Who was this Bellatrix Lestrange?" Snow asks as she sets the serving platter piled high with sandwiches divided into two stacks in the center of the table.

"Nasty piece of business from our realm," Ron says. "She joined the dark wizard, Voldemort, when he rose to power. She was a Death Eater and, some say she was intimately close to him. Although that has yet to be confirmed. There's a rumor that she may have given birth to his spawn shortly before her death."

Emma's green eyes go wide as she picks up a turkey and swiss sandwich made with mustard. "She was a Death Eater? Did I hear that right? Oh man, that does not sound good!"

Harry shakes his head. "it's not. She personally tortured the parents of a good friend of ours. She killed my godfather. She aligned herself with the man who killed both my parents and tried to kill me before I was old enough to even remember it. Ron's mother killed her in the Battle of Hogwarts in defense of Ron's sister; my wife. I can almost guarantee you, that if we aren't jumping to conclusions, if this is her, I know what she wants. She wants one thing and one thing only; resurrection. That's not going to be good for anybody in any realm."

Emma's shrugs. "If what she wants is resurrection, then I don't know that it's her we're dealing with. If it is her, I'm not sure we have a problem. I mean, resurrection is not possible… Right?"

Regina stares at her dumbfounded.

"What?"

Regina gestures to the kitchen archway as her father enters the room. She sets the tea service down in the center of the table next to the platter of sandwiches. "Would you care to look my father in the eye and say those words again?"

"Hey." Emma shrugs nonchalantly and offers, "Sorry Henry." To Regina, she says, "Sue me, I forgot."

Regina gives her a sharp look. "You forgot?"

Henry chuckles and pats his daughter's hand affectionately as he helps himself to a chair and joins the group. "It's alright, dear. I rather like the fact that she forgot. He used to be dead is not the first thing you want people thinking every time they cross paths with you."

"Daddy, Henry!" Regina and Snow finish in unison. "That is not the first thing people think about when they see you!"

The old king places a hand on his chest as a broad smile stretches across his face.

"What?" Both women ask; still in tandem with one another.

"Oh, nothing. I just still get a kick out of seeing you two in agreement with the one another.

They look at each other, shrug, and declare, "More old news."

Harry puts the conversation back on track again. "Yes, resurrection is possible, but only under tremendously limited circumstances. There are a finite number of ways to accomplish it, and it always comes at a great cost. Rumor has it that Voldemort's personal spell book may have contained an incomplete recipe for a resurrection elixir."

Hook grimaces as if there's a foul smell in the air. "Even if the soul can be resurrected, a dead body with no heartbeat, no breath in it decays. What does a returning soul return to? Because, trust me, no matter how much rum a bloke's had, he does not want to cuddle up with an undead corpse."

Harry eyes Henry speculatively. "Clearly there are preservation spells. In rare instances, it is possible for another body to play host to a possessive soul. You'd need a body that was once a vessel for an exceedingly powerful soul."

Regina lifts her chin and raises an eyebrow; repeating his words back to him in the form of a question. "A body that was once a vessel for an exceedingly powerful soul? Like maybe the body of a newborn demigod?"

Harry looks from her to Ron and when Ron gulps reflexively, sickened by the thought, Harry says solemnly, "Yes, I think that would be an ideal place to start."


	17. Chapter 17

Fifty feet from the old converted apple barn, surrounded by sunlight through ancient trees that tower above them, Ron suggests to Harry, "What about a boggart?" and then realizes his mistake even before Harry begins to shake his head.

"Just because the boggart in school took the shape of a dementor for me, does not mean…"

"Right, right. Sorry, I was just randomly tossing an idea out."

Wand in hand, Regina, passing a look between the two men. "What the hell is a boggart?"

Harry blows out a puff of air before explaining, "A boggart is akin to a shape-shifting poltergeist who enjoys taking up residence in unusually dark and confined spaces. When confronted, they take the form of whatever a person most fears. Ron was just about to suggest using one for training purposes because when we were boys in school, for me, one took the form of the dementor. If we could guarantee the same outcome for you, it would be a useful training tool, but…"

Regina shakes her head. "Sorry, you turn one of these boggarts loose on me, it's not going to take the form of a dementor."

Ron studies her curiously for a moment. "You seem pretty certain."

Regina nods. "Don't get me wrong, those things are scary enough. But, even so…"

Harry guesses intuitively, "Not your greatest fear."

Regina laughs dryly as she shakes her head again. "The thought of spending the rest of my life in Azkaban driven mad by the dementor's kiss…" She shrugs. "I don't relish it, not even remotely, but sorry, it doesn't make the top of the list."

Ron doesn't know whether to squint in confusion or laugh. "Well then, what the bloody hell does?"

Regina shoots him a look so intense that he literally itches to take a step backward. "Mr. Weasley, the most revealing knowledge about anyone is what frightens them most. To know the answer to that question is to have enormous potential for control over a person. I don't know you well enough to risk giving you that kind of control over my life. But I will tell you this. I do know what frightens me most. I'm well acquainted with it. I face it every day."

While Ron forces himself to stand still and not fidget under her scrutinizing gaze, Harry clears his throat. "Well, if you're certain you know what frightens you most, you're ahead of most people. Whatever the answer to that question is, that is what the dementor is feeding on when it encounters you."

"Believe me, I've become aware."

"The way to combat that is to think your best and brightest thoughts. Choose the memory of a place or an event where you were happiest. I'm not talking about happiness that comes with a rush of adrenaline. Those moments may be great but they're usually ephemeral. Instead, choose something strong, something incredibly powerful, something deep and abiding that stays with you always; even in your darkest of moments. Memories like that are the only ones bold enough to help you shield yourself from the dementor's assault."

Closing her eyes, Regina nods and gives her shoulders a gentle shake as if she's trying to loosen tension hiding there. For a long moment, she breathes deeply and paces in a tight circle as she silently searches through the finite, but precious, collection made up of her best moments.

"When you think you're ready, lift your wand, give it a definitive flick and, enunciating clearly, try the incantation, "Expecto Patronum."

When she stops pacing, Regina lifts her wand and recites the incantation with intense feeling. "Expecto Patronum."

Absolutely nothing happens.

Mildly annoyed, but not terribly surprised, Regina remembers that while studying magic under the tutelage of Rumpelstiltskin, her first attempts at anything new, either with or without a wand, were usually fruitless. She tries again. "Expecto Patronum."

Nothing.

She closes her eyes, concentrates, and, willing something – anything - to happen she tries a third time.

An embarrassingly pitiful bit of dark magic pinpointed with light quite literally hiccups from the end of her wand. Lowering it, she groans in frustration.

Harry instructs patiently, "Again, but relax, don't try so hard."

Sighing, she raises her wand again as Harry steps around behind her and offers her firm but gentle correction for both the presentation of her wand and her stance. She raises an eyebrow but says nothing in response to his touch. She's just about to try the incantation again when the back door of her house opens and her daughter steps onto the back porch.

"Mama? You do magic?"

Regina turns but before she can say anything, Robin quicksteps out onto the porch, right on the heels of their girl and gently tries to shoo her back into the house.

Norah complains. "No Daddy. I watch Mama. Mama's learning new magic."

Robin smiles as he kneels and picks his daughter up. "Yes, I know. That's precisely why my little firefly needs to wait in the house." He carries her to the back door and sets her on her feet. "Don't come back out here, Norah." He gently tugs at one of her curls but says firmly. "If you do, you're going to be in big trouble. You can watch from the window, but you stay inside until Daddy tells you it's okay."

Norah crosses her arms over her small chest and pouts as he closes the door soundly between the two of them. It takes ten long seconds but, soon enough, he sees her adorable little scowl through the kitchen window. She's not at all happy but, she grudgingly does as she's told and in very short order, Snow is seen standing beside her, obviously trying to cheer the unhappy child up as she pulls double duty; taking it upon herself to help keep her indoors where it's safest."

Regina exhales noisily and eyes her husband with gratitude. Although she says nothing, he nods in response.

She closes her eyes, trying to clear a bit of headspace. Opening them once again, she gives it another go. "Expecto Patromun"

When the wand finally chooses to react with a genuine display of power and backfires on her, Regina screeches painfully in shock and drops the wand to the ground, kicking it away from herself in panic and frustration as if she's just been snakebitten

"Damn it!" She hisses angrily through clenched teeth and stares in disgust at the scorched and jagged wound running grotesquely through the palm of her hand.

Robin rushes to her side, gently taking her hand in his and carefully holding it open so he can determine the extent of the injury, he cries out, "Regina!" her pain mirrored back to her in his blue eyes.

Harry and Ron hardly have time to react before Snow, who is still watching from the kitchen window, notifies her daughter of the situation and Emma hurries from the house and wastes no time taking Regina's injured hand carefully between both of hers and tapping into her own magical reservoir. Her hands glow a brilliant golden white as the visiting wizards watch in fascination. While she heals the wound, Emma grits her teeth as if the mere sight of it somehow causes her to hurt.

Snow watches quietly through the open back door with Norah held tightly in her arms.

When Emma's done rendering aid, she teases as Regina flexes her newly healed fingers. "Whatever you just did. I wouldn't do that again if I were you."

Regina laughs and snaps sarcastically. "Thanks for the pointer. Really very much appreciated."

Harry admires Emma's handiwork. "Nicely done."

Emma nods her appreciation for the compliment and steps toward the house. "If you're okay now, Regina, I'll go inside and let them know that. Unless you need me."

Regina shakes her head. "I'm good now, thanks."

As Emma steps through the back door, assuring both her mother and Regina's father that she's good as new, Harry walks over and, bending at the waist, he retrieves Regina's wand from the grass and looks it over."

With an odd mix of uncertainty and admiration, he glances at Regina. "Is this Acacia wood?"

Nodding, Regina shrugs. "It is. Why?"

"How long have you had it?"

"My mother bought it for me when I was 14."

Harry squints. "If I'm understanding you correctly, this was your first wand?"

"Yes. Why does it matter?"

"Do you have any other wands?"

It's Regina's turn to squint. "Why would I need any other wand. I mean, you can only wield one at a time, and I barely use that one. In fact, I don't think I've touched it for more than three years."

"You said your mother bought it. Do you remember where it was purchased?"

"From the wandmaker's shop in Covarachia. I think the shop owner's name was Tillie, but I won't swear to it. I don't recall her last name. Why all the questions?"

"Well, mind you, I'm an auror, not a wandmaker; but I do know that acacia is the rarest wood for wand-making. Most shopkeepers only keep a few in stock. The average witch or wizard finds acacia wands rather unsuitable. When partnered with the right person the wand exhibits unparalleled power. However, the wand is extremely tricky to master. It's very temperamental. Usually, these wands are only given to people who are in the market for a new or replacement wand. Most often when they've outgrown their first wand; undergone the significant changes that life can bring. At age 14, you were just a teenager and, I mean no offense, but teenagers are not often known for the stability of their emotions. Typically, it's considered a bad idea, if not outright dangerous, to partner such a temperamental wand with one who is often just as excitable; and you say you've never felt really comfortable with the wand?"

Regina shakes her head. "Never."

"I think I'm beginning to understand why. I don't understand how it happened, but I suspect you were poorly matched, and even if you weren't, you say you've only had the shadow casting ability for what; five years?"

"Nearly that, yes."

"Something like that; a completely new manifestation of power…" Harry runs his fingers through his hair. "After undergoing a change like that almost anyone needs a new wand.

"My mother insisted that I have that one. Now that I think about it, I don't think the shop owner wanted to give me the wand. She wanted to try others. My mother refused."

Harry nods speculatively. "Can you remember why the shop owner wanted you to have a different wand?"

"No. What I remember is that I was so excited to be getting a wand; at least at first. But, I didn't like that one. When Mother refused to let me try others, I lost all my enthusiasm for the event. I stopped listening to the wandmaker. I tuned her out. That's probably why I don't remember."

"It's alright. Most people withdraw when they are unhappy. It's understandable. Has this wand ever injured you before?"

"No, but…"

Harry nods; anticipating her next words. "You've seldom used it. Can you recall why your mother was so set on you having this particular wand."

"She just insisted. I didn't know why. Not until today. If Acacia is the rarest of all wood for wand making, if it's difficult to master, that's why she insisted. Only the best for her daughter; only the best possible chance for the greatest power. That was how her mind worked."

"And what's at its core; do you know?"

"Dragonheart string."

"Did she encourage practice of the dark arts?"

Regina laughs bitterly.

"I'll take that as a yes. Of the three most common cores, dragonheart string is the easiest to turn toward dark."

"So, I was paired with the wrong wand?"

"I believe so, yes. Even if I am wrong, even if this wand was right for you at the age of 14, it certainly isn't anymore. You need a new one."

Regina laughs dryly. "I don't know if you've noticed this, Harry but there isn't exactly a wand shop on every corner of this town.

"Well, if you're agreeable, I can certainly suggest one in Diagon Alley. That is, if you don't mind another quick trip?"

Regina looks to Robin inquiringly.

He shrugs. "If you need it, then you need it. But, I'm going with you."

Regina turns to Harry once more and nods. "Just let me tell my father. He'll watch the children and Emma came be on dementor watch.

Harry nods agreeably and Ron offers, "I can stay here. Two's better than one when it comes to dementor patrol."

It's at this moment, before anyone can carry out their plans, that Hades and Zelena appear, walking arm in arm.

Regina offers her a knowing smile. "You look whipped, Greenie."

Her sister grimaces. "I wish. I'm so tired. We barely got to make up after our little tiff. This awesome little god is kicking my bum."

Hades lectures gently. "Well, what do you expect? Putting him in positions where he feels like he needs to use his power to protect the two of you is not helping. You need rest. I wish you'd let me take you back up to Olympus."

Zelena's shakes her head stubbornly. "I was just up there yesterday. Those people up there seem as if they actually might like me. I don't want to wear out my welcome. And, you need to go get Eliana. I don't want your brother thinking I'm using Olympus and all its inhabitants for free babysitting."

Hades shakes his head. "I'm not leaving you here alone like this."

Zelena eyes her sister beseechingly. "Are you going to make me ask?"

"No, I won't make you ask, but Harry and I need to go back to his realm; just a quick trip. I'll do that and then ring up Zeus for help getting to Olympus. I'll bring her back. Of course, I'll feel a lot safer doing it if Ron and Emma can manage to catch the other two dementors before she gets here. Think that's doable?"

Ron nods. It should be. As long as Emma's on board."

"She will be," Regina assures. "She doesn't like those things running around this town any more than I do; especially not with our son living here."


	18. Chapter 18

"This is ridiculous!"

Zelena yanks the plump pillow from behind her shoulders and pummels it aggressively." She glares at the austere walls inside the Storybrooke Abbey. Nuns and their minimalist lifestyle! "Ugh!"

Her husband returns the pillow gently to its former place and straightens the plain white sheet and the thin blue blanket, pulling it up to his wife's waist on the metal-framed twin size bed before he perches lightly on the edge.

"it's not ridiculous, my love. It's necessary."

"I am not helpless. I am not a bloody invalid."

"No one is saying that, darling. You fainted again and, this time, you were under for too long. You didn't come around for more than 12 minutes. That's not good Zelena. It's not good for you or our baby. Your either staying here with the fairies, or you're going back to Olympus until I feel it's safe to take you home." The dark god straightens his silk tie and gives his wife a stern look. "And that's final! I won't entertain the notion of anything less."

"If you're so worried, she glares at both her husband and Weil, then take me to the hospital."

Both men shake their heads adamantly and the doctor is first to speak up. "Hades seems to think you'll be safer here with the fairies than at the hospital. Especially with your sister gone and I can't, in good conscience, disagree with him. The fairies can provide far better security than hospital staff who aren't equipped to do that. I'm going to come by and check on you frequently. The mother superior has my pager number. I'm going to do everything I can for you Zelena. Trouble is, what I can do for you medically if somewhat limited. I'm a doctor and a scientist. I treat human beings. That's my job. Your child is special, and I'm doing the best I can. Everyone involved is. It would help us out dramatically, if you would take our words to heart, and rest, and stop stressing yourself and your baby needlessly.

Zelena's sighs in exasperation. "My sister is not the only magical person who lives in this damn town. Has it occurred to any of you to appoint someone else my bodyguard?"

"Of course, it has," Hades says with forced patience. "Emma and the auror are on dementor patrol. The fairies are watching you. Oddly enough, the people in this town who possessed and can employ light magic, which is the only one of use to you at the moment, are outnumbered by the people who possess dark magic. So, as I said until it is safe out there, you are staying in here because, like it or not, I have to go down to the underworld for a while."

Zelena's scowls repugnantly and wrinkles her nose. "Well, before you go, can you at least bring me some magazines… Oh, and maybe some spicy enchiladas."

He kisses her forehead. I will have them brought to you. Anything else?"

"Two dead dementor heads on spikes?"

Hades smiles. "I'm working on it, my love. I'm working on it."

* * *

Garrick Olivander is a warm but peculiar sort of fellow with a wide ready smile, unruly gray hair that is very reminiscent of Einstein, and silver eyes that are somehow alarming yet gentle. Upon first sight, when he steps through the tattered curtain that divides his cramped and dusty storefront from the equally cramped and dusty overstocked back room, Regina silently wonders if he's not some bizarre magical crossbreed between a seer and a geriatric hobbit.

"Bless my soul! Lightning strikes! Though, I do expect you're tired of hearing that after all these years. Do come in, Harry, my boy. Do come in."

"Hello, Mr. Olivander. How are you today, sir?"

"I'm quite well. Quite well, indeed." He gestures through the window at fat gray clouds outside that are dumping rain on the cobblestones hard enough to drive most folks indoors. "A fine afternoon for the ducks and the frogs, but what are you doing out and about Harry – and with company, too?"

Mr. Olivander, I'd like to introduce you to Regina. She's the mayor of a place called Storybrooke, and to her husband, Robin of Locksley.

The old man's eyes stretch wide as he stares at the pair of them. "You don't say, Harry."

"Yes, sir." Harry nods assuredly.

"Well, Harry would not bring you in here, if he thought ill of you, but just so you know, Mr. Robin of Locksley, help yourself to anything this store has to offer without payment and it is very likely that you will accidentally turn yourself into a platypus - or some other poor unfortunate creature."

Robin offers his very best roguish smile and bows from the waist. "Forewarned is forearmed, and I thank you for that, sir but I give you my word, I'm not in the habit of pilfering anything from anyone who has the strength of character necessary to work for a living."

"Well then, how may I be of service?"

"The lady needs a new wand."

Regina steps forward and shakes the shopkeeper's hand before producing a long narrow box carved out of black walnut with obsidian inlay from deep inside Robin's quiver. "It's just as my husband said. Mr. Potter has advised me that that I am in need of a new wand. Perhaps one that will understand me better than this one." She disarms the magical lock she keeps on the box for safety's sake and opens the lid; placing both halves of the box on the counter and taking a step back.

Olivander peers down at the wand nestled in the box inquisitively. For a long moment, he simply looks at it without touching it. Then, once he does pick it up, he runs his lithe fingers the entire length of the wand multiple times; almost as if he's caressing it or perhaps playing it like a flute.

Regina opens her mouth to speak and he quickly holds a finger to his lips, silencing her as he appears to listen to the wand, cocking his head to the side and holding it three inches from his left ear.

"Surprisingly pliant for this type of wood and at 16 ½ inches perhaps too long for you. Dragonheart string at its core?"

Regina nods without comment.

"Acacia is a rather difficult wand to make, and even harder to master." He says quietly. "Exceedingly few witches or wizards become one with the acacia wand."

"I've never felt even marginally comfortable with it, let alone become one with it."

"Well then, Madame, you either won it from another, or you were very poorly matched."

"It is my first wand; a gift from my mother. The local wand maker where we lived, wanted me to try others. My mother refused to allow it."

"How curious."

"Can you recommend something better?"

Olivander studies her; looking her over, mentally taking measurements that he does not verbally acknowledge with his intelligent silver eyes."

"Yes, I'm quite certain we can find you something more suitable. Wait here please."

Before he can disappear into the dimly lit recesses of the shop's storeroom, Regina calls out, letting him know. "I'll need something that will comfortably handle the practice of both the light and the dark arts."

He turns with only a flicker of surprise visible in his hypnotic eyes. They interrogate her again; asking silent questions, that she must somehow unwittingly answer because, at length, he smiles and says "Ah, yes, quite right. A soul that is no stranger to conflict needs a wand that is equally familiar with it. One moment please."

In less than a minute's time, the old man returns with nine different boxes. He lays them out on the counter and immediately removes the lid from half. Selecting one from a box labeled "YU" in the Elfish language he presents it to Regina palms up with just the slightest bow of his head as if he were offering her the keys to a kingdom."

She hesitates for a noticeable moment and then, deciding that standing around timidly will get her nowhere, she reaches out and plucks the wand from his outstretched hands.

She turns, careful to keep the wand pointed safely at the floor and turns her head right to left as if searching for something.

"You'll have to test it." Olivander encourages.

"Yes, I know. I'm just looking for someplace safe to aim. I haven't had the best of luck with these things. I don't want to put you out of business."

Garrick Olivander laughs quietly. "Never mind that. Give it a go. Trust me, you will not be the first person to blow something up in this shop."

Regina points at a narrow expanse of wall that is not home to shelves aligned with merchandise. She waves the wand with the nearly nonexistent flick of her wrist.

Nothing happens.

She tries again, putting just a smidgen more intent into it, and the resulting eruption of power shatters two mirrors on parallel walls, on opposite sides of the room and sends the four of them crouching and diving for cover as hundreds of shards of glass assault them from both directions.

When it's over, Regina crawls out from underneath the small table near the window and looks around wearing a startled expression. Once she ascertains that copious amounts of blood are not flowing from either Robin, herself, Harry or the shopkeeper, she wastes no time returning the first candidate back to its box on the countertop. "I think not!"

When he's back on its feet again, with a little help from Harry, Olivander puts the lids back on and removes three of the nine boxes; storing all the ones that are labeled with an elfish letter Y quickly and safely away behind the counter. "Right then, wands made of yew are out of the question; no matter length or what the core is comprised of." He opens two more boxes. These two are labeled respectively, BKT – U, and BKT – D. Olivander selects the one labeled U first and passes it to her.

Regina points at the same expanse of wall and tries again. One definitive flick, and a hot dry wind arises in the room strong enough to whip wildly at their hair and clothing as it unsettles all the dust. Stunned at first, she simply watches in utter amazement until she realizes the dust is gathering and forming a rather ominous looking vortex. When Robin sneezes violently five times in rapid succession. She chooses simply to point the wand at the front door without the corresponding flick of her wrist."

When the doorknob turns and the door swings inward on its hinges causing the brass bell to chime softly, and Regina pushes the swirling tornado of dust out onto the rain dampened street, the shopkeeper frowns intuitively. "Well, that's improvement. Blackthorn bonds well with the heart of a warrior, which technically, you may not be, but I suspect you don't run from a fight either."

Regina shakes her head in the negative as Harry points out, "A fast learner too. You tried once and created a mess, adapted immediately and cleaned up the mess. Still, I would think there's probably a better option."

Regina nods her agreement and reaches for the wand in the box labeled BKT – D. Before she even has the chance to turn and aim properly, a steady unyielding arc of flames erupts from the end of the wand and jettisons across the room, setting a shelf over-burdened with stock ablaze.

The flames would have quickly become a blazing inferno were it not for the shopkeeper; ready and waiting with his own wand. One quick swish of his wrist and all is normal.

Having jumped back, startled, Regina drops the wand. Recovering quickly, she chases it as it rolls across the floor, still throwing faint orange sparks. Doing an impromptu little tap dance, she extinguishes embers before she picks the wand up again and looks it over curiously.

Mildly unsettled by the sudden glimmer of light in her eyes, her husband steps forward to carefully pluck the wand from her hand, holding it between two fingers and away from his body as if he suspects it might be diseased. He says quietly but firmly "No!"

Taking him seriously, she teases anyway. "Hey, it's a bit volatile, but with a little practice…" The sweet smile she offers him borders on being a smirk.

"No!" Robin repeats adamantly. Returning the wand to its box, he puts the lid on with the decisive snap of his own wrist and eagerly thrusts it into the waiting hands of the shopkeeper as he informs his wife, "You throw perfectly good fireballs that are very large, very hot, and quite dangerous. "You do not need a flamethrower; you unbelievably sexy little pyromaniac!"

Regina smiles and chuckles quietly when Olivander's eyes widen and a faint blush rises in his normally ashen cheeks.

"I love it when he feels passionately enough about something to actually tell me no. Most men would annoy the hell out of me. I'd ignore them, and do whatever I damn well please. But not him. He says no, he means it, and…" She pauses to shrug theatrically. "He makes me feel good all at the same time."

Harry and Robin exchange a silent look as she turns to find Olivander setting more of the boxes aside, out of reach. The first Elfish letters on the remaining three boxes are HWT and after a careful moment's consideration the old shopkeeper excludes the one labeled HWT – D and puts it away as well. He removes the lids on the remaining boxes and studies them both very closely before making a decision and offering her one that is rigidly straight, highly polished, and ebony in appearance. "If you would, Madam. Give this one a wave."

Regina reaches for the wand, but as her hand passes over the counter, the one still laying in its open box trembles faintly. For a second, she stares, not entirely certain that she actually saw the thing move. Slowly she retreats and then passes her hand over the top of the box once more.

The handsomely dark and gnarled wand with delicate veins of silver filigree coursing through it; swirling upward from the handle trembles eagerly this time in anticipation of her touch.

The old man smiles and sets aside the one he has just offered. "Yes, I thought that might happen." He nods encouragingly toward the remaining wand

Regina picks up the fourth wand, instantly understanding on an innate level that it is the right one. First, nothing happens until she takes aim, and secondly, the very instant she does an easily managed and tightly controlled manifestation of delicate white light glows softly from the wand's tip with awe-inspiring jagged sparks of black lightning in it.

Olivander softly claps his hands together twice in approval as he observes the warm light in Regina's eyes. "Yes, yes, no surprise really. Hawthorne always pairs well with those who are no stranger to inner turmoil. I am a tad bit surprised this wand is no shorter than the one you came in with, but no matter. Wands such as this one can often take time and dedication to master. They may learn slowly, but they bond almost exclusively and irrevocably with the witch or wizard who is every bit as strong-willed and independent as the phoenix whose tail feather resides within their cores."

* * *

Queen Cora sits in the underworld's version of the Storybrooke mayor's office; enjoying all the comforts that her new ally, Lord Death, can provide, while His Unholiness approaches the gateway to Beyond. Stepping into the dark bowels of purgatory, and inhaling the stench of brimstone, he rubs his hands together invitingly as he smiles his most chilly smile. "Who's ready to talk? He eyes all the most prominent villains of the underworld.

Walsh yawns, Pan sneers, and Cruella examines her manicure. Bella hums some psychotic little ditty, and Fiona gets as close as she dares to the electrified magical force field that holds them in place and bursts into flames with the slightest little bit of tampering. They have no access to magic here which, for Fiona, is unbearable. "You let us out of here you wretched filthy little weasel. You can't keep us locked up like this forever!"

Hades clicks his tongue against the inside of his cheek. "Oh, but I can, and I am. Unless one of you tells me who is responsible for unleashing those soul-sucking monstrosities on my wife and child, this is where you all will remain. If you try to escape you will be released from your prison here and sent straight into the eternal flames of Tartarus. So, your choice. First one to give me viable information gets a free ride out of here."

They all silently stare at each other; avoiding his gaze. No one's ready to make a deal with the devil just yet.

* * *

By the time they complete Regina's wand purchase and indulge in a light repast at The Three Broomsticks the rain has stopped. Once the sun comes out, Harry takes his traveling companions via apparition to an open field of earth and stone. He gives Regina a few guidelines for basic wand handling. All in all, it's about ten minutes' worth of specific instruction, and ultimately, she finds it infinitely more helpful than countless hours in agony spent under her mother's or even Rumpelstiltskin's tutelage. For the first two minutes, she feels awkward and out of place; uncomfortable in her own skin. How could she not be when she's so unaccustomed to having a patient coach as opposed to an aggressive authoritarian instructor who utilizes fear, intimidation, and humiliation for training tools.

Once she's got a few basic maneuvers under her belt, Harry sets to work teaching her the Patronus charm. Ordinarily, it's not the first defensive move he would teach, but time is of the essence and his current pupil is not a Hogwarts' student in the DA. For twenty minutes they practice. For twenty minutes his student makes good, solid, genuine effort, but has no success. Realizing that she's frustrated with herself and her own lack of success and that such frustration will do her no good; Harry suggests a break.

Regina kicks at a small stone in self-loathing and then curses softly when she realizes that doing so has only scuffed her new boot. "Damn it." She hisses under her breath. "I don't need a break. I'm used to working a lot longer than this to accomplish something. I can do it. I'm just used to someone yelling at me when I'm trying to learn something new."

Unsure what to do or say, Harry looks to Robin.

Robin wrinkles his nose as he shakes his head. "Sweetheart, that was a long time ago. You've learned new things since then without anyone screaming at you. Besides, if you're supposed to be tapping into your happiest memories, good vibrations, and all that warm fuzzy stuff, I don't think it's bloody likely that's going to happen if someone is standing in front of you dredging up feelings of animosity." He steps around behind her and folds his arms around her; pulling her back gently to rest in his embrace. "Close your eyes. Don't think about the charm. Don't think about getting things right… Just feel."

Regina scoffs lightly and tries to step free but Robin holds on tight and whispers quietly, "Don't do that. Don't dismiss what I'm saying. Just listen. Close your eyes. Think about how you feel when you're talking to your dad. Think about is how you feel when Henry asks for Mom's help something, or how you feel when you and Snow are alone together talking about whatever it is you two talk about these days. Think about how you feel when you're in the kitchen making apple turnovers with Roland and Norah and they've got more flour and dough on their faces than under the rolling pin…"

Regina smiles and chuckles so quietly that Robin feels it more than he hears it.

He tightens his embrace and lightly kisses the pulse point beneath her ear before resting his chin on top of her head. "Think about how it feels right here, right now, with me."

When she snuggles deeper into his arms Robin reaches out, gently guiding the hand that is still clutching her wand. He lifts it to the sky without a single word and isn't the least bit surprised when pure dazzling white light gently erupts from the tip of her wand and spreads outward like ripples in a pond before it begins to take the form of a winged creature.

She feels the power flowing but doesn't open her eyes until Robin whispers that she should. When she does, she finds the two of them gazing at the celestial form of a raven that is slowly undergoing some form of metamorphosis.

Harry stares at her with equal parts wonder and confusion. "I've never seen anyone produce a patronus without speaking the incantation."

Regina shrugs. "I was thinking it."

Harry nods in recognition of her remarkable power, still staring in wonder and perplexity. "I'm also never witnessed the moment of transition. It is possible for a person's patronus to change in accordance with major life events, but this is the first time I've ever witnessed the moment of transformation."

As the three of them watch, the soaring raven appears to land and change shape before their eyes, growing in both size and intensity until telltale bird slowly morphs into a sleek, lean and powerful lioness on the prowl.


	19. Chapter 19

Standing in the middle of a barren field, with dry yellow grass and stone all around them, Harry offers Regina a congratulatory smile as Robin's eyes go wide with delight.

Still close behind her, He tightens his embrace in response to his wife's newly formed lioness patronus "See, look at that! Knew you could do it, love."

Regina smiles warmly. Quite pleased with the spectacle before them, she snuggles close, and allows the image to grow immense in both size and shape and then holds the patronus charm steady "You like her?"

Robin nods eagerly and kisses his wife's cheek. "She's a beauty!"

Warm fuzzy encouragement didn't use to work."

"How do you know? Did anyone ever try?"

Regina squints as she searches her memory. "Not that I can recall. Well, except for Daddy, but he didn't teach magic lessons."

"Maybe he should have."

"I would have loved that. Mother wouldn't let him. She sai…"

Before the conversation can go any further, Hades appears beside them without warning.

Harry takes a step back; caught off-guard, but delays raising his own wand when Hades appears just as startled as they are.

Feeling the presence of powerful white magic, Hades instantly crouches and takes four steps back while shielding his head and face with both arms as if he expects his sister-in-law's ethereal she-beast to pounce and devour him. "What the hell is that?"

Regina laughs wryly. "Aren't people usually pointing at you when they ask that question?"

Hades scowls as Robin grins and proudly offers an explanation. "That's Regina's patronus. It's a magical shield used to fend off the dementors. Harry says they take the shape of an animal when fully formed. Sort of like a spirit animal, I guess. Very apropos for my lady, don't you think?"

Hades sneers. "I would've thought a carrion bird would be more appropriate; something to pluck out the eyes and devour the heart."

Robin shrugs, undaunted. "Maybe once Hades, but not anymore."

"Yes, yes." Hades recites in boredom. "Regina works for the good guys now. I get it, but right now I need her to work for me."

Regina laughs callously as she lowers her wand and her feline huntress disappears; evaporating from view. "Dream on, flame boy!"

Blue flames leap from the top of his head as he growls. "You intend to just let your sister and your nephew die, then?"

"I intend to do nothing of the sort, Hades. But let's get one thing straight right here and now. I do not work for you, not even indirectly, and I never will again."

"Fine, fine! I don't care what motivates you as long as you help me."

"I won't do that either. Helping you usually comes back to bite people on the ass; but I will help my sister. So, what do you want?"

"I need a locator spell that has been… well, sort of tweaked, I guess."

"Tweaked how?"

"I have rounded up all the villains in the underworld. However, imprisoning them does not seem to offer quite enough incentive to get them to talk; not even with the threat of Tartarus underfoot. I don't know which one of them is responsible. I have come to ask you to write a locator spell that will help me ferret out the guilty party; tell me which one of them is lying to me."

Regina squints as she listens, sorting out the details carefully in her mind before she speaks. At length, she says, "That's probably not going to work."

Hades misinterprets her comment. "You can't do it?"

Regina laughs haughtily. "Oh, I can do it."

"Then why won't it work?"

"Because Hades, they are villains in the underworld and you are their overlord. Every single one of them is lying to you about something. For that matter, even heroes have their secrets. I guarantee it. However, that fact alone does not necessarily mean they are all after your wife and unborn child. It could be just one of them. It could be a small group. It's unlikely, but have you considered the fact that perhaps they are all in it together?"

Hades squints.

"Look, originally, the underworld was not meant to be a place of torment. It was meant to be a peaceful place. a place for people with unfinished business to go to give them time to sort things out before moving on. You made it hellish for your own self-serving reasons. Ever consider the fact that maybe they all want to hurt you for what you've done?"

Hades laughs darkly. "That's pretty rich coming from the evil queen. How many people do you think would hurt you, given half a chance?"

"Hundreds, I'm sure. I'm not trying to rub your nose in it. I'm simply trying to point out the obvious, since its apparent that you've missed it. It could be any one of them, not just the villains. They all have motive. It could be none of them. I can write you a locator spell. I can tweak it. Even so, you're going to come up with more hits than Mike Tyson's punching bag if you want the spell to reveal simply which one of them is lying to you, or which one of them wishes to harm you."

"How about, which one of them unleashed those soul-sucking fiends."

"Well, the part's rather obvious too, Hades. No matter who did it, or why they did it, in your absence, they couldn't have done it without the Black Fairy's approval. Even if she's not the mastermind behind it, she allowed it. So, start with her. If she tells you she knows nothing about it, she's lying. And, speaking of Fiona, if she's on lockdown, who's in charge down there if you're up here?"

"Your mother, temporarily of course."

Regina nods. "I don't know why you didn't make that choice to begin with."

Hades raises a curious eyebrow. "Really, your sister's going to be furious with me for making that choice. And how many times have I heard you say that Cora is not to be trusted?"

"Oh, she's not. That hasn't changed, but given what you've put them through, neither is anyone else down there. So, your options are somewhat limited. However, I'm afraid that given the choice between Mother and Fiona - Hades, that should've been a no brainer. Fiona is not royalty. She has no idea what it means to rule, or how to go about it. She's a power-hungry harpy who started out innocently enough; trying to protect her child – something which I am entirely capable of understanding - but somewhere along the way she allowed her quest to become perverted when she started snatching babies for the sake of accumulating supremacy. Mother's hardly better. I can't guarantee you that she won't try to overthrow you while you're up here, but at least she knows how to rule. And, in this one instance, she would make a rather vital ally. Her eldest daughter's children are the children of a god, which is possibly the only thing that could offer Mother greater influence than a seat on any throne. Trust me, she has a vested interest in protecting those children from harm. She certainly never would have allowed dementors to pass through the underworld on their way to your wife and children."

Hades glares. "Are you going to help your sister, or just stand around kicking me in the teeth?"

Regina smirks and lifts one shoulder in a shrug. "A bit of both. Go visit your daughter. Give us an hour to get the remaining dementors under control, and then bring her home. We'll meet you at the abbey."

* * *

Ninety minutes later Regina arrives at the abbey with Robin and a group of their friends. Intent on announcing that the remaining two dementors as has been caught and properly stowed away, she stalls momentarily when they find a confused and annoyed Eliana questioning her parents. "Why is Mummy in bed again?"

Hades kneels before his preschooler. "Mummy's okay, princess. Your little brother is just having a tough day."

"I don't want a brother. I want Mummy to feel good."

"She will sweetheart; soon."

"Now. I don't wanna wait."

"I know it's scary El…" Hades begins patiently.

The little redheaded girl folds her arms and pouts stubbornly. "I'm not scared. I want Mummy back! We don't play anymore. Stupid baby! He's no fun! I don't want him!"

"Honey, you don't mean that."

"Yes, I do! Mummy is sick all the time and it's his fault. I don't want him. Make him go away."

"Elianna, Daddy can't do that, and I wouldn't even if I could. He's special, just like you. He's my baby."

"I'm your baby."

Before Hades can respond, Zelena sits up a little straighter in her bed. "Alright young lady, enough! We've been very patient, but I'm tired of your attitude. Like it or not, you have a little brother and he will be here soon enough, so you may as well get ready!"

"Don't yell at me!" Eliana pouts as hot tears began to spill.

"Nobody's yelling, honey," Hades speaks in a soothing tone.

Eliana nods insistently " Uh huh, Mummy is. She's sick all the time and she's always grouchy now." She turns her attention back to her mother. "You're no fun anymore!"

Zelena ignores her daughter's accusation and inhales deeply as she frets and rubs her swollen abdomen. Inside, she can feel her distressed son squirming and kicking hard against her belly in response to the tension his big sister is creating.

Shocked and supremely unhappy to find that this brother she does not want is taking attention away from her yet again, Eliana decides that if the big people are not going to listen to her, she'll just have to take matters into her own hands. Concentrating diligently, she wrinkles her nose and squeezes her eyes tightly shut. While the adults stare with unabashed curiosity, she remembers and does what Thalia told her how to do. She focuses with all her might, thinks of what she wants most and feels the rising tide of magic within. When the gentle weight of it changes and becomes an urgent pressure that must be released, she opens her eyes, holds her small hand; palm out, arm extended, elbow locked, pointed straight toward Zelena's belly and magically locks onto her target. Next, she slowly turns a ½ circle and relocates her exasperating baby brother, transporting him into the first available womb she finds.

Still in the dark, but acutely aware that the contrary child is up to something, Regina and the other women squint inquisitively as an unmistakable look of relief flutters across Zelena's face only to be rapidly replaced by a frightened scowl. "Suddenly, I feel bett… Eliana, what have you done? Hades…" Zelena's eyes go wide as her voice rises frantically. "I don't think he's here anymore! She…She…Eliana! What did you do to Theo? What do you do to your brother?"

Eliana giggles with mischief. "I told you. I don't want him. He can go live somewhere else!"

Her parents stare, horrorstruck, both of them shouting at once. "Where is he?" and demanding, "You put him back! You put him back right now!"

Eliana stubbornly shakes her head as all the adults stare with their mouths falling open in shock.

Before anyone can figure out what to say or do next, Emma suddenly crouches in fear and reaches for the top of her own head; stopping just in time to avoid scorching her hands as her head erupts in a magnificent and terrifying display of teal colored flames while her signature red leather jacket becomes uncomfortably tight as her normally flat abdomen suddenly swells and becomes round and heavy with child. "What the hell?" she stares down at her distended belly in abject horror before turning her frightened gaze to Zelena's noticeably smaller one. "Oh no! Oh, hell no! Listen kid.." She glares at Eliana. "You fix this right now!"

Both Hades and Zelena protest adamantly. "Don't yell at her!" while Hook's eyes widen with extreme amusement. He smiles broadly as he splays the fingers of his curious hand gently over the firm swell of the blonde's suddenly well-rounded midsection.

Emma can feel the cool temperature of Killian's metal rings against her belly through the thin T-shirt she wears, and she smacks the pirate's hand away in agitation as the baby pummels her from the inside. her ears began to ring incessantly as the most intense nausea she's ever felt nearly buckles her knees. When her heart rate decreases alarmingly and her vision blurs and goes grey around the edges, she hisses adamantly, "Listen Red, I get that you don't want a little brother, and that's okay, but I don't think I'm equipped for this. Do me a favor, will you? Get this pint-sized demon out of me before he renders me unconscious!"

Zelena's blue eyes throw daggers at Emma. "My son is a demigod; not a demon!"

Hades glowers ominously and declares, "I'll have you know, carrying the child of a god is an honor!"

Emma's sways drunkenly as large beads of perspiration become visible at her hairline and her slender neck quickly goes an alarming shade of red. Hook offers what stability he can from an arm's length away; afraid that her head might erupt with uncontrollable flames again as her internal temperature seems to spike suddenly, and without warning, to absolutely volcanic levels.

Emma's shrugs, not largely concerned if they take offense. "Honor, or horror, whichever it is, I don't believe it was meant for me and it's one I don't want. So, please tell your daughter to fix this! Now! Before I go into cardiac arrest or spontaneously combust!"

Four-year-old Eliana's eyes go wide. "See, he's no good. Even Henry's mom don't want him!"

Her bewildered parents turn to each other and groan in apprehension but before they can say anything more, she waves her hand again and Emma's newly formed a baby bump disappears as rapidly as it appeared only to reemerge in the savior's mother's belly.

Snow frantically clutches at her own expanding middle even as her knees give way. She stumbles dangerously and collapses into the ready embrace of her fast-acting husband who lifts her off her feet into his arms and then carries her to the unoccupied bed a few feet from Zelena's.

David squeezes her hand in his and gently pats her face several times in rapid succession, trying to call her back from the depths of unconsciousness. When that fails, he frowns sternly at the redheaded child before turning his heated angry eyes to her parents. He gestures desperately toward his cataleptic wife. "What? Do you two had absolutely no control over her? You just let her do whatever she pleases?"

Zelena hisses venomously. "How dare you! Who are you to question our parenting skills when you put your own newborn daughter into a magical cabinet and sent her into an unknown world in the arms of a living puppet…!"

Regina touches her sister's arm in an attempt to restrain her from continuing her hostile verbal assault. "Hold on a minute, Zelena. That was my fault. Not theirs. They were trying to save their daughter and did the best they could under horrible circumstances. Before you lash out, stop. Look at your daughter's tear-stained face. Are you, of all people, really going to lay here in this bed and tell us that you don't understand what she's feeling? She doesn't want her younger sibling. She feels threatened by his presence. If memory serves correctly, you should be uniquely qualified to understand exactly what she's going through."

"That was different! Hades and I are not planning to abandon her; throw her into the path of a bloody green tornado!"

"I know that! What I'm suggesting to you is that maybe we all need to stop yelling. Maybe you should take a moment to make sure she knows that."

Zelena's jerks away from her sister's touch. "We can deal with that later! Right now, she just needs to put her baby brother back when he belongs!"

"No!" Eliana yells back; competing with all the other raised voices in the room. She stomps a small foot clad in green patent leather the instant before she turns, her ruffled skirt twirling out around her, and attempts to flee the room.

Robin is quick to sidestep, effectively blocking the doorway and her only exit. When she tries to push past him he catches the struggling girl beneath the arms and scoops her up, stalling her, giving his wife the second she needs to close the distance between them and reach out to take the angry, uncooperative child into her own arms.

"Elia, honey, I know. I understand. You don't want a little brother and that's okay." Regina assures calmly. We don't have to talk about that right now. If you will stop kicking me and listen for a minute, we can talk about something else."

"I want to leave!"

"Yes, I know, and I understand. It's no fun when everybody's yelling at you. People used to yell at me a lot too. You know what else is no fun sometimes…" Regina raises an eyebrow as she turns the squirming child to face her.

Eliana wipes her watery eyes on the back of her arm and sniffles loudly, "What?"

Regina drops her voice to a conspiratorial stage whisper. "Having a big sister. Sometimes it sucks! Sometimes I just want to kick her really, really, hard!"

Eliana scowls and raises an eyebrow as she passes a look of supreme uncertainty back and forth between her mother and her aunt.

Zelena objects vehemently, "Hey, don't tell her that!"

Regina tosses her sister a scathing look. "Pipe down, Greenie. You had your chance. It's my turn now. I've got this." To her niece, she says, "Don't let her fool you. She didn't want a little sister any more than you want a little brother, but we can talk more about that in a few minutes. Right now, we need to talk about Miss Snow. Because even if you don't want your little brother you cannot leave him with her. Snow is not a goddess. She doesn't even have magic. She's not strong enough to carry any child who is half-god. It will hurt her. it might even kill her. She might die if you don't move him."

Eliana turns wide blue eyes to the unconscious princess. After a long heavy pause, she whispers loudly, "She gave me a birdhouse."

"Do the birds come to visit you?"

"Sometimes. They sing pretty songs and they like to eat the bird seed."

"See. She was nice to you. You don't really want to hurt her, do you?"

"My stupid brother needs magic."

Regina smiles and nods. "Your stupid brother needs magic."

Hades scowls. "Don't encourage her to call him that!"

Regina turns inquiring eyes his way. "She needs to feel free to express what she feels. What? You would rather have her stifle her emotions and magically drop kick your son into the wombs of random women who just happen to find themselves in her immediate vicinity?"

"I'd rather she not do either!"

"Oh, I see. You want her hold it all inside until one day she goes off the deep end and tries to master time travel, so she can go back in time to wipe her brother out of existence?"

"Well, no, of course not!"

"Well… like it or not, this is where we are and, right now, she's the one with all the power."

Eliana squints wildly confused by this unexpected announcement. "Na uh, Auntie Gina. Daddy has way more magic than me."

"Not right now, he doesn't, Elia. He can't fix this. You did it. You are the only one who can make it better. You are the only one who can make it right."

"Me?"

Regina nods and gently presses the end of her index finger to the little girl's chest. "You."

Eliana squishes up her face and shakes her head. "I still don't want a stupid brother."

"I know, but I have a little brother. He died before I ever got to meet him, and knowing that makes it hard to breathe sometimes."

"It does?"

"Sure does, and I don't think you want to know what that feels like. I don't think you want Mummy and Daddy to be so sad that it hurts to breathe. So, maybe you could wait until he's born. Wait at least until you can see him before you decide to send him away forever. What do you think?"

"But he makes Mummy sick and grouchy all the time. I don't want Mummy to be sick."

"Elia, most babies make their mothers feel sick before they're born. That part's normal. Norah made me sick before she was born. You made your mom sick before you were born. Now, it's your brother's turn. Nobody really likes it. That's just the way it is."

"Then why do ladies keep having babies?"

"Because it makes most of us pretty happy."

"Well then…." Eliana smiles mischievously; having found a solution to her conundrum. "You can have him, Auntie Gina!"

Regina shakes her head wildly. "No, no, that's not what I meant."

Her niece ignores her. "He needs magic. You have magic. And Norah likes having brothers. She told me so. She can have mine too and, that way, Mummy doesn't have to be sick anymore."

Snow stirs softly, regaining consciousness.

Regina groans in abject agony as she becomes the next unwilling surrogate, and despite the hollow ache within, Zelena chuckles snidely. "Didn't work out the way you thought it would, did it. Miss Fix-it?"


	20. Chapter 20

The crowded exam cubicle at Storybrooke's General Hospital is smaller than a standard walk-in closet. Thus, the group of people inside the confined space are forced to either stand or sit virtually shoulder to shoulder.

Weil passes a concerned look between Snow and Emma. "You should be fine now that the situation has resolved itself," He glances at Regina and clears his throat. "at least for the two of you. You may have some residual symptoms, but…"

"Residual? You mean like a searing headache and extreme sensitivity to light?" Emma quips impatiently from her perch on the edge of the exam table. "I feel like someone is driving rusty spikes into my eyes!"

Weil nods apologetically as he steps over to the door and turns off the lights opening the door to allow indirect lighting from the hallway before stepping to the window and repositioning the blinds to allow in only a minimal amount of light, he continues, "Now that you're no longer… with child… Your headache should subside. It may take a little while, but I'm confident the symptoms will fade. Neither of you carried him long enough for him to do any lasting damage."

Emma blows out an exasperated puff of air as Snow reaches for and pats her hand affectionately.

"I can give you something for your headache, but under the circumstances, I'm not entirely certain it will work."

"Great!" Emma snaps sarcastically as she pats her jacket pockets with her free hand; looking for sunglasses.

More relieved than annoyed, Snow shrugs from the only chair in the room "I may be conscious, but I still feel incredibly woozy. My knees have the consistency of Jell-O. I think it's time to go home and relax."

Weil nods. "That's a good idea. Try to stay off your feet for a few hours. If you're lightheaded, nauseous, or dizzy, it's a good idea that you take it easy and not be alone for a while."

"Don't worry about that, Doc. She's going straight home to bed." David declares quietly; his patient words belied by the irritation clearly shown on his face.

Robin drops a protective arm around his wife's shoulders and gently nudges her in Emma's direction. "Why don't you go over next to Emma and sit down? You look like you're ready to drop."

"Because I don't want to sit next to Emma." Regina snaps derisively as she shrugs out from under Robin's arm and steps as far away from him as possible in the overcrowded room.

Emma quips defensively "Hey, I showered this morning. I've even had all my shots."

Regina rolls her eyes. "I don't want to sit next to you because at this moment I'm not entirely sure I'm in control of my own body. I feel like I'm on the verge of spontaneous combustion, or at the very least, I might randomly shoot flames out of the top of my head! Thanks to these two…" She gestures toward her sister and brother-in-law, "I've become a human Tiki torch; one that can apparently ignite without the benefit of matches or warning."

Zelena scowls. "It's not as if we chose for this to happen, Regina."

"I realize that, but I'm afraid David isn't entirely wrong. You two really do need to set some boundaries with Eliana while you still can. She does whatever she wants because she knows there's never any serious consequence for her actions."

Zelena glares at her sister "What do you want us to do? Lock her in a dungeon until the next full moon?"

"Of course not! That's over the top and it especially wouldn't be helpful now. Elia already resents her little brother. Punish her severely now, and she's just going to blame it on him. What you need to do now make her feel secure enough to reverse this on her own - by her own choice. If you bribe her or force her, she's just going to hate him." Regina closes her eyes and swallows hard against rolling waves of dizziness and unrelenting nausea. "Don't rush her, but don't let her drag her heels either because …I am not giving birth to the kid for you. That means we've got three months to change her mind." Regina swallows again, battling indigestion as beads of perspiration appear without warning on her brow and neck. She covers her mouth to conceal a discreet burp and then plows onward stubbornly. "But right now, we have more pressing matters to deal with. We've got to get all those containment boxes with the dementors in them someplace safe."

"Aren't we just taking them back to the underworld?" Hades frowns quizzically.

Regina nods and then shakes her head as she steps back, leaning against the wall for support. "Yes, we are. Just not now. I can't handle a trip anywhere right now; much less the underworld. I've got to find a way to get a handle on this first." She glances at her sister. "If you're up for it, I could use some help. I think I've come up with a way to make Fiona talk."

Zelena squints. "So far, even the threat of a one-way trip into the eternal flames of Tartarus hasn't loosened her tongue."

"No, but if we can make her feel the way I do right now – Zelena, how the hell did you survive doing this once; much less decide to do it a second time? I feel like a volcano just erupted in my uterus!" Regina fans herself with one hand and instinctively reaches out for Robin; seeking physical support as she closes her eyes and silently wills herself not to pass out or vomit. "If we can make her feel this way… she will talk. She'll spill the beans on every ancient secret she knows just to make it stop."

Horror seizes Hades. "You're not suggesting we transplant my child into that… that wretched lunatic fairy?"

Regina scowls. "Of course not. Don't be ridiculous. I'm suggesting that Zelena help me write a spell. A new one, because for the best of my knowledge, no such spell currently exists and I'm not sure I can think clearly enough to do it on my own, right now. I don't want to transfer the baby to her. I just want to make her feel like we have. One dose of this and…"

Regina stops unable to continue and simply makes eye contact with her sister who giggles with a wicked delight. "Oh, let me at her!"

"We'll meet at my vault in an hour. No, make that two hours. I think I need an ice bath before my internal organs melt!"

* * *

Queen Regina announces her regal presence by throwing open her front door and striding through it, wholly unconcerned with the amount of noise she's making. A woman on a mission, she ignores all things except for her own discomfort and angrily stomps into the center of the great room; her high heeled boots tapping out their hostile staccato rhythm as she goes.

While Robin closes the door behind her, her father and their children step quickly into the great room. Each of them coming from elsewhere inside the house with their inquiring eyes pointed her way as she marches unimpeded toward the grand staircase on her way to the master suite high overhead on the third floor.

Forced to battle amplified pregnancy symptoms that she's not genetically equipped to handle, her skin is rosy and glistening with perspiration as she mutters under her breath in hostility and kicks off her boots, shucks her coat and strains, without much success, to reach the laces at the back of her overly-tight corset.

Robin trails along behind her, quickly picking up her discarded clothing as he follows her up the stairs.

Both the faces of her father and his namesake exhibit concerned but curious expressions while Roland grins ear to ear. Young Norah mirrors the emotions she finds on all their faces in rapid-fire succession.

As her mother stomps up the stairs repeatedly altering between the two physical manifestations of her singular personality, her three-year-old daughter doesn't know whether to stare in fascination, concern, curiosity, worry, or outright glee. She's not quite sure what is going on, but something is definitely happening. Mama doesn't go all – what's that word that Papa and Roland use? They call it majestic. She doesn't go majestic every day but when she does, Norah knows, somebody somewhere is in really big trouble. She squints in troubled uncertainty for a single instant as she tries to remember if she's done anything bad. When nothing comes immediately to mind, she turns her gaze to Robin, who pauses halfway up the intricately carved spiral staircase to smile down at her and wink reassuringly.

Daddy isn't worried about it. Relieved, Norah's dark curls sway gently as she shakes her head and smiles, trying not to giggle out loud. Whatever is happening, it's not her fault. She didn't do it.

Less than ten minutes later, Robin cringes in response to the temperature of her bath water as he gently lathers his wife's back and then rinses the soap away slowly. "I didn't see you throw a bucket of ice in the tub, but I swear the water feels as though you did. You never take baths this cold. Usually, you prefer water that is two degrees shy of scalding you."

"I've never been impregnated with a demon-child either." Regina silently relishes the chill of nearly frigid water cascading down her bare back as the deity in her swollen belly kicks mercilessly in objection to the same. "Robin, even Vesuvius didn't burn like this. I feel like I'm boiling from the inside out."

"I believe you." He says sympathetically; his eyes taking in the rosy hue of her skin despite the chill of the water. "No one else could sit in water this cold, and perspire at the same time. Do you feel any better at all?"

"Marginally. Leave it to me to be wearing a corset the moment my niece decides to magically play prenatal hopscotch with her little brother. At least now I can breathe. Significant blood flow has returned to my uterus. That has to help some."

Robin frowns with mild disappointment. "no more corsets for you until we figure out how to entice Eliana to return her little brother to his rightful place. You want a nap before meeting with your sister?"

"Yes, I do. Do me a favor… find a big plastic bag and put the bed linens in the freezer for twenty minutes first."

"Seriously? Should I just make room in the freezer for you?"

"If I say yes to that he will probably kick hard enough to break ribs. Robin, I mean it. I have no clue how she did this once, much less willingly decided to do it a second time."

"Maybe she didn't." He flashes his roguish grin and kisses her cheek lightly before rising from his perch on the side of her tub.

Releasing her hold on her own knees, and relaxing against the back of the tub, Regina submerges in water up to her shoulders and raises a quizzical eyebrow. "Maybe she didn't?"

"Maybe she didn't willingly decide to do it again. Maybe they just got caught by surprise."

Regina wrinkles her nose in disgust. "Eww, Robin!"

"What?" He shrugs nonchalantly. "Things like that happen all the time, love."

"Yes, but I hadn't put that much thought into exactly how my sister got knocked up the second time around… and I wish you hadn't either. That's just disturbing."

Robin laughs freely. "I wouldn't say I've put much thought into it. Truth be told, not much thought is required. Probably not even on his dad's part. Your sister probably turns on the charm and slides up next to him with all that red hair, and warm flesh, smiling with all those pearly white teeth of hers and Lord Death probably becomes Joe Caveman. The only thought or communication he's capable of at that point likely consists of monosyllabic grunts."

Chuckling wryly, Regina's smile slides into a grimace as the sharp point of either a tiny heel or elbow finds and pummels one of her kidneys. "Robin, right now, I don't even want to think about our sex life much less that of Joe Caveman and Broom Hilda. Change the subject… Or go make me a snow cone."

* * *

When Zelena approaches the Mills family mausoleum that afternoon, much to her surprise, she finds the door unlocked. Stepping in, she takes the stairs cautiously, descending into her sister's underground magical storehouse and private sanctuary. Her heeled boots tip-tap out their own two-part staccato rhythm on the stone floor and reverberate off the equally solid walls of the cavernous lair making her presence known at once even though she does not speak any more than Regina immediately acknowledges her presence. Yet, each sister is inherently aware of the other.

In the moments before they speak Zelena stares quietly, more than a little perplexed by the sight before her. She's already more than familiar with the ancient walls lined with inlaid shelves that are home to any number of magical oddities. Not to mention the trunks, chests, and curio cabinets filled with items that represent or imbue countless magical properties and powers; be they friend or foe, benign or malignant. She's also equally familiar with the well laid out workspace; utilitarian in nature and fully serviceable to meet any and all possible needs that a skilled and industrious mage from their bloodline might have.

She's hardly any less familiar with the modest, yet nonetheless, luxurious living space along the back wall of the vault – the queen's regal version of a fallout shelter in the event that she should ever need a place to lay low. Here in this private place, her sanctum sanctorum she has access to shelter, sustenance, comfort, and unimaginable power.

None of this puzzles Zelena. The room is as it always is. What mystified her is the woman within. More than thirty feet away, near the center of the room, with her head bent over a heavy oak hewn worktable; its surface virtually covered with spell books, is her sister. Or, perhaps more aptly put, the one who Zelena considers to be her sister's darker half.

Regina peruses her reading material with the dark eye makeup, dazzling jewelry, and the intricate updo that have become synonymous with the formidable royal. What catches Zelena by surprise is the entirely unexpected attire. Although her feet are clad in heeled boots, the heels are noticeably shorter; their heavy block style offering considerably more support than her usual stilettos; and the dress may be haute couture and made of the finest satin but the loose-fitting bohemian peasant-style maternity wear seems entirely foreign and out of place for her younger sibling.

Regina raises an eyebrow without taking her eyes away from the text currently in hand. "Are you going to stand there and stare until nightfall, or are you going to come help, Greenie."

"I'm staring because I'm trying to figure out how you're upright and mobile. I thought by now you'd be curled into a fetal position in a dark corner pleading for mercy."

"Tempting, very tempting actually, but hardly helpful. There's no point in dallying. This situation isn't going to resolve itself or get better if I surrender to your pint-sized deity. As horrible as I feel right now, I've had him with me long enough to figure a few things out. He likes to be warm, not cold. He hates restrictive clothing. He prefers motion over inactivity, and he either has an extreme fondness for Caribbean jerk chicken, or he's been mollified and severely subdued by bonnet chilies and jalapenos."

Zelena squints in alarm. "Regina, what are you feeding my baby?"

Regina tosses her a look that clearly says she's a few queens short of the full deck. "I told you; Caribbean jerk chicken. It's one of Robin's recipes. He found it a few months ago in one of my magazines. Decided to try his hand at making it. It's become a household favorite. Either Junior likes it, or he scared of it. I'm not sure which, but at least he's stopped break dancing on my pancreas and trying to melt my uterus from the inside out. I'm still dizzy. My ears are still ringing like the bells of Saint Michael's Cathedral, and my body temperature changes erratically, and without warning, from volcanic to sub-arctic, but at least I can stand upright without hurling lightning from the palms of my hands for no reason at all."

Zelena's blue eyes go wide. "You hurl lightning? I haven't managed to do that… Yet."

Regina shrugs. "You're not capable of shadow casting. Daddy and Henry are keeping a safe distance. Norah is frequently found peeking out from behind Robin's legs with a bizarre look that says she doesn't know whether to be worried or awestruck and Roland…" Regina laughs. "Roland looks at me as if I'd been anointed by the gods. 'Do it again Regina! Do it again!' He's my little daredevil." Regina pauses thoughtfully before asking, "Have you found that, while pregnant, you have the ability to cuss Hades in foreign languages that you aren't even remotely familiar with?"

Zelena raises a thoughtful eyebrow. "Well, I've certainly screamed at him, and I'm fairly certain that not all of it was ladylike but, as far as I know, I haven't screamed at him in a different language."

"Half an hour ago, I screeched at Robin without realizing that I was doing it in a foreign tongue until he turned to me and demanded, 'Woman, if you're going to curse me, at least do it in a language I can understand!' I can't explain how, because I've never spoken it in my life, but I'm fairly certain it was ancient Greek. I also find it rather comical that although he didn't know what I was saying, he still knew with absolute certainty that I was cursing him."

Zelena shrugs and offers her sister a telling smile. "That's not too difficult to understand, sis. He's a married man. He's probably been cursed in English. Whether he understands the words or not, he understands the tone, the attitude, and the body language that come with them. He knows when he's about to be burned in effigy. So does Hades. As for the foreign language, it wouldn't surprise me if it were Greek. That kid has made me do all sorts of weird things."

"Such as?"

Zelena shakes her head and she shrugs. "I've never had a green thumb in my life, but that little guy likes to bring dead plants back to life. I touched a withering fern last week and, voila! Instant rejuvenation! However, he either doesn't know the difference yet, or he's indiscriminate. He'll just as soon grow weeds as foliage."

Regina returns the dusty tome she's holding to the table and looks down at her own belly, resting a hand gently atop the healthy bump found there. "Lord Death sires a child who not only has the ability to, but apparently prefers, to resurrect things? Things are about to get really interesting in your house."

Zelena chuckles as she steps around the table and places her own hand on her sister's belly.

Both the women's eyes go wide immediately, and Regina's mouth forms a perfect O. She forces herself to stand still, allowing her sister the only contact she has with her unborn child at the moment until she can no longer tolerate the assault happening within. To soften her withdrawal she offers, "He knows you're here."

Zelena lets her take a ½ step away and then, making a halfhearted effort to disguise her own disappointment, she snaps, "Nice to know I'm not the only one he torments."

Regina rolls her eyes and dryly returns fire. "Yes, that would comfort you."

She's on the verge of saying something more but upon seeing the cloud of genuine pain reflected back to her in the redhead's normally bright blue eyes, she changes her mind. Regina knows she would've gone completely mad if their situations were reversed; if she'd had to rely on Zelena to care for Norah in this way it would have been intolerable to her. So instead, she says, "He misses you as much as you miss him. That's why he's decided to pummel me. Let's concentrate on finding a way to deal with Fiona and her dementors. The sooner we find a way to resolve that situation, the sooner we can find a way to coax Eliana into reversing this situation."

Instantly on board, Zelena gestures to all the open spell books as she declares, "I'm game! Exactly what do you have in mind."

"Well, as I was saying earlier, Eliana's prenatal version of musical chairs got me to thinking…"

* * *

An hour later, when the two of them arrive at the old converted apple barn, they step into the great room to find friends and family waiting; their eager eyes teeming with expectation. Hades, anxious for a resolution, is the first to speak.

"What's the plan? When do we go?" When neither woman answers him immediately, he prods impatiently. "You do have a plan?"

Regina's husband and her oldest son laugh aloud with their unshakable faith. "Of course, she has a plan. She always has a plan."

Zelena steps close and touches his shoulder reassuringly. "We can go now if you want. Well…" she glances down at her own loose-fitting attire. "I should have changed earlier; into something that fits a little better." She lifts her hands, a breath away from snapping her fingers and magically changing her ensemble when her sister thinks better of it and stops her.

"Zelena, don't."

She squints in confusion. "Why shouldn't I?"

"Not to sound like a broken record, but this has to be about your baby. It's the most important thing going on in your life right now and Fiona…. Well, let's face it. She's the queen of baby snatchers. She snatched her own grandson."

Zelena nods, catching on. "So, don't make it plainly obvious that I'm not currently pregnant and… You need a jacket."

Hades interrupts. "Can't she just stay here with the baby?"

Zelena shakes her head. "Sorry love. Brand new spell. The ink's not even dry on the parchment yet. It's really powerful magic, and we've only had one test run. We both need to be there to back each other up in case things don't go the way we plan."

Robin and Henry speak up again with wide confident smiles that belie their teasing question. "When do they ever?"


	21. Chapter 21

With eyes forward, shoulders back, spine straight, and chin held high, Fiona follows her deceptively unarmed captors up from the bowels of the underworld while trying to maintain an air of dignity despite heavy iron shackles that not only curtail her movements but her use of magic as well. While she tries to collect her thoughts, tries to discern where she's being led to and what will happen next, her fellow prisoner, Bellatrix Lestrange, fidgets nervously at her side; buzzing and dancing around like a deranged moth and Fiona finds that she would give almost anything for a fly swatter.

The gendarme of the underworld appear to be speechless beings. Fiona doesn't know if it's by choice, or by mandate, but the intimidation of their unrelenting silence is rivaled only by their physical appearance. The pair of them resemble bare-chested steroid-abusing medieval executioners; complete with bulging muscles, chain mail, codpieces and black hoods that hide their faces from view. She finds it difficult to believe that Lord Death has a penchant for half-naked muscle. Perhaps his wife oversees the heavy artillery, or at the very least, dresses them.

For at least the eighth time, Bella asks to know where they are being taken, and for the eighth time, she receives no reply in all. And, for what must be the 157th time Fiona wonders if her alliance with this compulsively garrulous lunatic is going to be worth the headache.

Forced into the elegant but antiquated single cage style elevator along with their musclebound escorts, Fiona tries to ignore the slow, labored rise to what passes for civilization in the underworld. Above ground at the end of their ascent, once they step free of the confines of the elevator, they are forcibly transported. When they arrive at the other end of the line, they find themselves in the underworld's equivalent of the mayor's office standing before none other than the Queen of Hearts.

Before either of them has time to process, let alone speak, Cora dismisses their escorts with nothing more than the slight tilt of her head and a coolly delivered, "That will be all, gentlemen."

Bellatrix watches the men depart as the door magically swings shut behind them. One glance into Cora's cold unfeeling eyes, and to Bella's ears, the soft, delicate click of the deadbolt sliding home is the sound of eternity approaching; like the distant yet thunderous hoofbeats of the hard-riding horsemen of the apocalypse. Panic rises like a venomous tide, but before she has time to go into one of her inane repetitive rants, Cora simply gestures to her desk and the three ancient repression vessels found there that are used to incarcerate rogue dementors.

She steps out from behind her desk and lightly perches against the front left corner. Leaning forward slightly as if she's inviting conversation between old friends while her hard, unforgiving eyes and the stern set of her mouth tell a very different story.

In a voice of deadly calm, she declares, "I'm only going to ask this question once. Which one of you shortsighted imbeciles decided it would be a good idea to endanger the lives of my grandchildren – and by extension, the lives of my daughters."

When the two females stare at each other and shrug as if the accusation is wholly unexpected, the once and former queen of Wonderland shakes her head. "Playing dumb isn't going to help ladies, because you see…" She gives Fiona the lion's share of her attention and points once again to the dementor traps on her desk. "You were in charge when those vile things were allowed to enter Storybrooke. So, no matter whose idea it was, no matter whose authority they were acting on, you are ultimately responsible, and you will be held accountable. All I really need to know is who shares the blame."

Willing to sacrifice anyone ahead of herself, Fiona quickly spins a tale equally constructed of half-truths and blatant lies "You really must pardon me, Your Majesty. I was still familiarizing myself with the bylaws of this place when I allowed them passage. It's really was unintentional. I had never encountered them before, I had no way of knowing the damage they would cause, I was only told by this madwoman that they could provide me with a spell that might enable me to leave this place. I'm ashamed to admit that I so easily allowed myself to be misled but surely you can understand the desire for another chance at corporeal life."

Bella screeches with murderous intent and because she is quite literally shackled and currently possesses no access to magic, she physically hurls herself at Fiona willing to tear her apart with her own teeth if necessary. "She lies!"

Cora resists the urge to roll her eyes and returns to the seat behind her desk.

* * *

Sitting Indian-style on the bright blue rug on the floor of the abbey nursery, Eliana looks up from the memory game spread out between herself and her cousin. Stretched out on her belly with her chin propped in the heel of one hand Norah turns a small square card over to reveal the image of a baby elephant and then pauses momentarily as she makes her second choice; her hand hovering, skimming the air between two cards that are face down.

Eliana complains, "I'm bored."

Norah's second card is turned over to reveal an adult elephant and she groans in mild displeasure as she flips5 both cards face down and returns them to their former positions on the floor. "Right animal, wrong size!"

"You can have it."

"Uh-uh, that's not the rules, Eliana. We're supposed to find the ones that match es-actly."

"Stupid rules. Let's make our own."

"No. You're just mad because I got more matches than you, but you always win when we play the hippo game, or Connect Four, or even Candyland."

"I wanna go home. I'm bored."

"I know. I wanna go outside. Outside is more fun, but we're supposed to stay here with the nice fairy ladies until my mom and dad, and yours too, come to take us home."

"Let's just use magic, and go where we want."

"No! I'm not getting in trouble because of you, Eliana."

"Big baby!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Mama said stay here. They have to take the ugly monsters back where they belong."

"Who cares what Auntie Gina says! I wanna go home, now!"

"Me – that's who cares. If I get in trouble today, I can't go next time Daddy goes fishing."

Eliana wrinkles her nose in disgust. "Yuck, who wants to catch a smelly old fish?"

"Hey, fishing with my dad is fun! He makes funny faces when he catches a big one and he's trying to get it out of the water, and he lets me throw the baby ones back. We don't eat the babies."

Eliana's mouth falls open. "You eat the fish you catch?"

Norah squints, not understanding her lack of comprehension. "Course we do. What else are you supposed to do with big fish?"

Eliana shakes her head vehemently, causing her ponytail to swish erratically. "Na uh, you're lying!"

"I am not! Haven't you ever had fish for dinner?"

"Sure, I did, but that fish comes from the grocery store!"

Norah covers her face with her hand and shakes her head with comical exasperation. "Eli-annna, quit being a doofus! Where do you think the fish in the grocery store comes from? All the fishies live in the water. They can't breathe without it. Somebody has to catch them, and clean them so they're ready to cook, and then take them to the grocery store so that all the people who don't know how to catch fish can buy them!"

"Na uh!"

"Na huh!"

"Who says!"

"Daddy!"

"I think he's telling you stories!"

"Is not!" Norah pushes herself up off the floor and stomps her foot. "You take that back!"

Eliana shakes her head. "Is too!"

"This is stupid, and you're a doofus. At least my dad knows how to fish!"

"My dad doesn't have to fish. He has money to buy stuff with!"

Norah scowls. "Hey, my dad has money!"

"Uh-uh, Daddy says, Auntie Gina has all the money in your house. That's probably why your dad is always making your toys himself instead of buying them."

More confused than stung, Norah tilts her head to one side, "I like the toys Daddy makes for me. Sometimes, it takes him a really long time, but he does it anyway. He made my baby cradle that I used to sleep in, and my rocking horse is really old. Daddy made him for Roro when he was real little, but I get to ride him now. He made me this flute too." She extracts a hand carved wooden flute from the right-hand pocket of her denim jacket. "It plays really pretty music. I'm learning to play a song with it."

"That's easy stuff. You don't have any good toys, like nice baby dolls with pretty clothes."

"I do too! I have Isabella!"

"That does not count! Isabella is really, really old; like 300 gazillion years. She used to be your mom's doll!"

Norah shrugs. "First, Mama is not 300 gazillion years old. Not even Granny is that old, and second, so what if Isabella is old! She's still a good doll. I like her even if you don't. So there!"

"You don't even have a doll house for her!"

"She doesn't need her own house. She lives with me. My house is big enough for both of us."

"Norah, your house is big enough for half the people in Storybrooke."

Norah squints thoughtfully. "It is pretty big, but I don't think it's that big, El. There's a lot of people here."

"Lucky for you, I bet most of them don't want to live in a ginormous old apple barn."

Norah shrugs. "What is wrong with that? It's big enough for our whole family; even Papa lives there, and Daddy fixed it really pretty. He says it's a barn fit for a queen."

Eliana rolls her eyes. "Mummy says it doesn't matter how much fancy woodwork and furniture you put in there… It's still just a barn. No matter how nice it is, you live in a barn. You do know that's not normal, right?"

"So, what! You're not normal either."

"I am too!"

"Eliana, your dad lives underground most of the time! It's okay. We can both be weird. We're allowed."

"You're weirder than me. Your dad can't even do magic."

Norah offers a smirk and a shrug "I know. Not like us anyway. But I think he has his own kind of magic. Daddy magic. He turned a giant dusty old barn into a really pretty house. Mama says it had big holes in the roof before he fixed it up for us, and he cut a big branch out of a tree that fell down in the woods and turned it into my flute. I can't do that, not even with my magic."

"And, you can really make music with it?"

Norah nods self-consciously. "Not as good as Daddy can. He plays the whole song without making any mistakes. But, I'm getting better. The first time I tried, no sound came out at all."

Eliana stands up, suddenly feeling more curious than competitive. "Show me how it works."

Norah nods and inhales deeply. "See, you just put your mouth around this end and blow air into it. The hardest part is knowing when to put your fingers over which holes to make different kinds of sounds come out."

* * *

Regina taps lightly on the door to the inner office and pokes her head in. "It's me."

Cora offers her a radiant smile. "Regina, darling, come in, come in. Hades said to expect you."

Stepping in and quietly latching the door behind herself, Regina looks around the room that used to be a perfect match for her Storybrooke office. "You've re-decorated, Mother." She says in response to red walls that are offset by a roomful of luxurious yet strikingly asymmetrical black and white furnishings and accent pieces.

"Yes, well, this particular office isn't yours yet. Once it is, you can decorate it to your liking." Cora peers over her daughter's shoulder expectantly. "Where's your sister?"

"She'll be along shortly. She and Hades are refereeing. The girls were arguing over a toy."

"The girls?"

"Eliana and Norah."

Cora nods. "Are they with your father?"

"No. Daddy has other plans today. They're staying at the abbey with the nuns. They had a disagreement over a toy and just as we were headed this way, Eliana popped in to fetch her parents."

"I see…"

Before Cora can say anything more, the door opens and Zelena breezes in without knocking, her attention immediately fixed on her sister. "Did you have to confiscate the whistle."

Regina sighs deeply and forces herself not to scowl. "It's a flute, not a whistle, and yes, I did."

"Why?"

"House rule. If our children squabble over petty things like toys, Robin and I do not intercede. We expect them to settle the disagreement themselves. If they force us to settle the dispute, we take the item, whatever it may be, away from them."

"What good does that do. Then they're each unhappy."

"Yes, but the blues are usually short-lived, and It cuts down on the number of disagreements Robin and I have to arbitrate. It forces them to learn how to compromise and solve their own problems."

"Regina, neither one of our girls is five years old yet! And that may be your house rule, but my daughter doesn't live in your house."

"It's never too early to start learning, and you may change your mind after the next is born. Eliana will have someone to squabble with in her own house. It does become tiresome rather quickly. Plus, Eliana may not live with me, but she spends enough time in my house to know what the rules are."

Zelena opens her mouth only to snap it shut again. "Never mind, I can see you aren't going to budge."

"No, I'm not. Once a rule is established, it must be upheld, otherwise, the only thing the children learn is that they don't have to follow the rule. When we get home, Norah can have her flute back and they can try again. Right now, we have more important things to be concerned with."

"Right then, where is Fiona?"

"Hello, Zelena." Cora smiles tersely, displeased by her less than proper etiquette.

"Hello, Mother." She offers quickly before repeating, "Where is Fiona?"

"I left both she and her cohort standing just this side of Tartarus."

"Why, I thought you were going to collect her for us?"

"Oh, I did. I summoned both she and, that disturbing woman, Bellatrix, but they engaged in a nasty squabble of their own and I saw no need to break it up. I banished them from my office before they could break anything valuable. If one of them should do away with the other, you'll have one less to worry about."

Zelena rolls her eyes and addresses her sister again. "Parenting 101? Like mother like daughter?"

Refusing to be bothered, Regina shrugs. "Hey, I didn't leave Norah and Eliana standing on a narrow precipice above a roiling pit of eternal flames."

"Girls!" Cora interrupts the disagreement between her daughters. "Do I have to be here for this? The two of you can settle this later, but right now there is a larger issue at hand. Namely, the two prisoners down at Tartarus."

Irritated, Regina starts to protest, thinks better of it, and surrenders. "Yes, of course. Let's get this over with."

Cora retrieves and drops the repression traps that Hades entrusted into her care into a large shoulder bag before escorting them both out into the hallway with nothing more than an expectant hand gesture.

Regina pauses to hand her mother two small crystalline vials filled with a murky powder blue viscous substance.

As she examines the vials, holding them up to the light, Cora asks, "You sure this is going to work?"

Regina nods. "We tested it."

Zelena groans at the memory of the experiment. "Trust me, it will work."

"Shouldn't your sister be the one groaning? Wouldn't she had been the guinea pig for such a test?"

Regina answers. "Things haven't exactly gone according to plan lately, Mother. That's why we're here."

"Meaning there's more to this story than I've been told." Cora doesn't wait for an answer, she simply pockets the vials and magically locks her office before transporting the three of them to the underworld's least desirable location.

* * *

Stepping into the cave that holds the gateway for Tartarus, the trio of women stop short, and then approach slowly, when they find Fiona laughing, standing at the edge of the abyss and peering down into the flames. Cautiously, they join her. At the edge, they use their arms to shield their faces from the heat emulating her posture and peering over the side to find Bellatrix Lestrange below, screaming to be rescued and standing on a hazardously narrow outcropping of rock; her back pressed hard against the craggy wall as she tries to keep her long dark tattered skirt out of the flames that dance perilously close.

Putting an immediate end to Fiona's fun Cora waves a hand and relocates Bella to marginally safer ground.

Fiona is on the verge protesting, Bella a breath away from saying thank you, when Cora uses the moment to her advantage and retrieves the vials from a jacket pocket and tosses both, each one shattering at the feet of a prisoner. Stunned, they both glare in suspicion, but neither moves quickly enough to evade the cloudy blue vapor that rises from the sludge at their feet and invades their bodies courtesy of their mouths and nasal passages.

Fiona squints, searching Cora's impassive expression for a clue. "What have you done?" she asks calmly at first; her gaze shifting to Zelena and Regina. "What has she done to us?" she questions a second time as Bella sinks to her knees and, without warning, begins to howl as if she's being subjected to some unspeakable unseen torture.

The three women offer her different versions of the same icy smile.

"What have you done to me?" Fiona demands in loud hostility; no longer concerned about Bella as her own condition becomes dire. Feeling as though she might lose consciousness at any second, she walks on trembling legs, taking a few halting steps away from the edge of the pit and the flaming damnation below. The walls of the cave begin to spin, slowly at first, but then picking up speed with each rotation. Her ears ring loudly enough to distort Zelena's voice.

"Welcome to divine motherhood." The redheaded witch wrinkles her nose as she smirks triumphantly. "Or at least part of it anyway. All the miserable symptoms, without any of the celestial joy."

Fiona's stares, temporarily stumped, beyond the range of any well-used confundus charm.

Still on her knees, Bella scurries to a nearby wall. Slumped and panting, she pounds one fist futilely against the rock before she curls into a fetal position and begins to writhe and moan in unbearable agony.

When Robin, Harry, Ron, and Hades suddenly appear side by side, she shoots each of them a pleading look. Knowing that mercy isn't likely to come courtesy of Lord Death, Potter, or the Weasley fellow, she fixates on Robin. "Sir, please help, if you can. Make them see reason. This is too much. This atrocity is not to be born. I know not how they've done it, but they've done it just the same. They've used magic to violate us. They have impregnated us."

Robin raises a doubtful eyebrow as he studies his wife, her sister, and their mother before returning his gaze to the agonized wild-haired creature on the dirty floor of the cave. "Apologies mi'lady, but I think you're a tad bit confused about exactly how that happens."

From somewhere inside her own stupor, Fiona mutters thickly; almost incoherently. "The three witches…"

Cora throws back her head, laughing bitterly as she steps toward the pit. "I assure you, we've done no such thing, nor would we if we could. My daughters tell me it is simply a curse engineered to grant you knowledge - knowledge so that you might come to understand what it is like to carry a child such as the one we believe you intended to steal. That is what you do, isn't it, Fiona? However, I'm afraid the thief cannot help either of you. I promise you, your agony will not cease until the truth is known and your debt is paid. And for the record, neither Lady Macbeth, nor the three witches associated with her Shakespearian tale have anything on us. So, Bella, my dear, how long you suffer this particular atrocity is entirely up to you. You can end it all now if you choose. Your dementors…" Cora pauses to remove the three repression vessels from her shoulder bag. "They cannot help you anymore."

As Cora hurls the ornate traps into the pit, every other member of her party screams in abject horror. "No! Don't!"

Confused by their objections, she squints and then glares at Harry when he has the audacity to step forth; wand at the ready, and the words "Foolish woman!" escape his lips.

"Bloody hell!" A wide-eyed Ron exclaims as one dementor and its containment box are incinerated and the only thing to survive is the tormented specter's hellish earsplitting cries.

As for the other two, they were either fortuitously released at the moment they were thrown into the fiery pit or their traps landed, not directly in flames, but on one or more of the perilous rocky outcroppings where they rested fleetingly until the atomic heat melted the lock mechanisms providing them with narrow escapes just before the boxes themselves were incinerated.

With all her regal composure completely undone, Cora screams in agonizing terror as the two surviving ghastly abominations rise from the depths of Tartarus; their black death cloaks aflame as they zero in on her, pinning her against a wall and making her their target while the ground beneath their feet trembles and splits horrendously, widening the chasm of Tartarus. Unknowingly, Cora tries in vain to use her magic against her attackers, who only feed off of her darkness becoming stronger and more vicious in their pursuit of her.

The ground continues to rumble. Regina staggers backward, taking Robin down with her when he reaches out trying to break her fall. Shocked, but not seriously injured, they scramble to their feet as quickly as possible while chaos explodes all around them.

Also knocked momentarily off their feet; It takes a multitude of long, agonizing, seconds before Ron and Harry are heard shouting "Expecto patromun," and brightly glimmering apparitions of an impish weasel and a proud noble stag erupt from the ends of their wands and drive the dementors back a fraction of an inch from a horrified Cora's listless body.

As the Queen of Hearts cries out in anguish, Bella laughs maniacally.

Zelena screams, "Mother!" as Hades scrambles to his wife's side; ready to act as her shield and blast the monstrosities into oblivion.

Regina raises her own the wand and warns just in time, "No Hades! God or not, dark power will only make things worse!" She loudly calls forth her newly acquired feline patronus lending aid to the fight.

Dazed by pain, nearly catatonic with terror, Cora stares, unresponsive as the horrifying images of all her worst transgressions invade her mind in rapid-fire succession before they are crowded out by the unexpected manifestations of what she can only assume must be magical projections of spirit animals.

Regina quickly steps to her mother's side and then glides into the narrow space between her and her ghastly assailants. Hitting them with the full force of her roaring lioness and driving them backward with the combined help of Harry and Ron, she screams, "Back off! Get away from my mother you wretched fiends!"

Despite their Herculean efforts, the wizard and witch trio gain precious little ground and the dementors remain well past the point when they should have no longer been a threat.

Ron yells above the thunderous din of battle, "Is it just me or are they stronger than usual?"

Henry shakes his head. "It's not just you, mate."

Regina shouts trying to be heard above the eerie death howls of their livid rivals. "It's this place; the underworld. "They're feeding off all of the pain and suffering held captive here! I'm guessing that's why they were only allowed passage through here on their way to other realms. They aren't meant to reside here; not even briefly."

Ron bellows, "Then what do we do? We don't have any more repression vessels." He flicks his gaze to Regina and then Harry for an instant before returning it to the dementors. "I'm maxed out. If you guys are holding back, now would be a really good time to step it up if the plan is to drive these things down into the flames."

Zelena screams, "No, don't! New plan. We need to talk to them!"

Regina shakes her head vehemently. "Sorry Sis, can't do that. I can't hold them in stasis long enough for you to chat. I got more, but I can't dig that deep. Not now. I'm afraid if I do that, the repercussions could be deadly." For Harry and Ron's benefit she explains, "Using this much power, it takes its toll. It drains us, and I'm an adult. I'm afraid the little one wouldn't survive if I attempt that kind of depletion. He's already had a stressful day."

Harry nods. "I'm not sure I can hit them with that much more either. I do, and with the resulting shockwave, the walls of this cave are going to tumble in and crush us to death… Well, those of us that are alive." He clarifies, shaking his head at the irony of the statement.

Thinking hard, mentally scrambling for an acceptable way out, Regina turns her gaze to meet Robin's eyes seeking the clarity she always finds in their blue depths.

In awe of her strength, and loving her for it, Robin stares right back. Shaking his head, he shrugs. "I don't think this one's our call, Madame Mayor. We don't rule this particular realm."

Regina smiles as the much-needed penny drops. Both she and her husband turn expectant gazes to the man in charge. "Hades, there is a way."

He nods, needing no further prompting. "I know what to do."

He smiles reassuringly at his wife the instant before he closes his eyes. He turns his focus inward and chooses to let go. After an immeasurable number of centuries holding the underworld prisoner in his deathly grip, Hades, God of the underworld, who fell from Olympus, chooses to let go and rise.

Magnificent blue flames ignite and leap gloriously from the top of his head where they burn brighter than his wife ever seen before. They burn for what seems an interminable moment before slowly, gradually extinguishing.

Outside the cave, jagged lightning flashes in the red sky. Ominous thunder rolls; releasing one last dark cacophony of sound and fury before the heavy clouds break; letting in the light. As the world around them changes and peace moves in like a gentle summer breeze, Zelena steps toward the mouth of the cave watching in utter disbelief as the dark world her husband created disappears from existence. As she watches, every decaying thing in sight is gradually restored and resurrected. The underworld's resemblance to Storybrooke fades away like a wisp of smoke as a resounding shockwave of the purest, truest love, in proportions that only a deity can achieve, rush out around them, enveloping everything in its path.

After long strangely serene moments, when it's over, when the transformation is finally complete, the dementors find themselves without adequate despair to draw strength from. The combined powers of Harry, Ron, and Regina are easily more than three times what is needed to drive them down; forcing them into the inferno of Tartarus, where they cease to exist, fading into nothing more than one long reverberating death howl and leave the occupants of the cave crouching and shielding their ears.

When they all think it's safe, they breathe a collective premature sigh of relief in the instant before they realize that there was one serious flaw in the plan. The moment that Hades chose to relinquish his magical stranglehold on the underworld, Fiona and Bellatrix were instantly released from their restraints.

While Fiona makes use of her newfound freedom by staggering to her feet and swallowing hard against rising bile, Bella rushes Zelena; seizing her by the throat and backing her up against a wall.

Having been too beleaguered by false pregnancy symptoms, she'd been unable to mentally unravel, much less follow, the shouted bits of conversation moments earlier as they battled the dementors. Expecting to find her most coveted desire in the redhead's belly, Bella magically conjures a freshly sharpened hunting knife with little more than a thought and attempts to press it threateningly against Zelena's abdomen.

Thoroughly perplexed, she frowns when she finds no resistance on the other side of Zelena's loose-fitting cloak. Releasing her hold on Zelena's slender throat, she tosses the cloak aside, ripping it from the witch's shoulders to stare in utter disbelief at the flat, decidedly not-pregnant abdomen she finds waiting for her there.

"Where is it? Where's the bloody baby? What kind of magic is this, you evil…." Before she can finish, she's flying through the air, bouncing off a cave wall, and very nearly rendered unconscious, courtesy of Zelena's power.

"Let's clear up a few things, shall we? First, I'm wicked. Not evil, you moronic winch! And second, you just messed with the wrong witch!" Zelena uses magic to haul her up off the floor by her throat and spin her around, backing her up until she's dangling precariously over the blazing pit. "You so much as look at my kids, if you even mention my children's names, I will come down here every day for the rest of eternity just to watch you burn in those flames, only to revive you so we can do it all over again the next day; got it!

Choking behind her death grip, Bella sputters trying to speak, clawing at the witch's hand, begging for air as she tries in vain to draw her knees up to her chest in an effort to protect her feet from flames that are entirely too close for comfort. When she's forced to accept that her efforts are futile, she surrenders and nods. Mercifully relieved when Zelena turns and hurls her into the same expanse of wall all over again.

Hades sneers as he approaches and kneels before her. Growling, he demands, "How did you do it? You're dead. You were stuck here. Who helped you commandeer the dementors from Azkaban? You couldn't have done it alone. Tell me who?"

As she moves slowly, testing the strength of her legs, Fiona mumbles feebly. "Don't tell him a bloody thing. He relinquished his power, he's toothless now. He can do nothing more to you."

Even as Bella questions the validity of her words, Hades smiles coldly and offers her a nonchalant shrug. "That's true, because quite frankly, beating a woman physically until she's nothing more than a matted jumble of blood and bruises is just too messy for my tastes. However, my wife has relinquished nothing."

When Regina and Cora both step forward, he gestures their way. "Neither have they. I'd be only too happy to step back and leave you to them. Your choice."

Harry watches Bella's head wobble listlessly side to side as if it's attachment to her neck has somehow been compromised. "Fiona, if you don't tell him. I will." She shivers despite the oppressive heat that sucks nearly all the oxygen out of the cave; causing everyone else there to see perspire heavily.

Ron stares in profound shock as he watches the teeth of the woman who tried to murder his sister chatter uncontrollably. Her lips go gray as if she were visiting Antarctica, instead of the gateway to Hell. "What's wrong with her?" He questions, wiping sweat from his brow. It's easily 120°in here. Why the bloody hell is she shivering as if she's nearing hypothermia."

Zelena offers him a smug smile. "She was a mortal witch. Only my husband's hold on magic has been surrendered. The gestational curse we crafted is still in effect. Her body still believes it is pregnant with the child of a god."

Bella groans miserably. "Please just made it stop." Her voice quivers erratically as her teeth continue to clatter involuntarily. We wanted… We needed the baby, a child born of both god and mortal. We needed his newborn breath… To cast a resurrection spell."

Bella's hand quivers violently as she points an accusatory finger at Fiona whose knees are about to buckle as she sweats profusely and swallows hard against the rising tide of bile at the back of her throat. "Shut up! You loose-lipped babbling twit!"

Bella continues haltingly. "Why? You can't possibly hurt me any worse than the three of them." She makes eye contact with the trio of women. "She wants another life. So do I, but I have no quarrel with the people of Storybrooke. She wants your town. She wants it for herself."

Hades repeats his question. "The identity of the person who aided you in acquiring your partnership with the dementors? I will not ask again."

Just before the merciful blackness of unconsciousness claims Bella, her unfocused gaze slides to Zelena and she whispers breathlessly, "You should not have murdered his son. It was the Dark One and he's been biding his time; waiting. He wants the life of your son in retribution for the life of his."

Regina rolls her eyes. "Well, of course! Why didn't I see it before now?"

"Like anyone could've seen that coming!" Zelena counters snidely.

"We should have. Are you ever going to forget this day, the day someone tried to kill your child?"

"Point taken."

When Hades suddenly groans in frustration, all eyes turn to him expectantly. "What? I need help!" He snaps, spitting out those three words as if they leave a sour taste in his mouth. "I forgot, I can't leave… Not without magic."

Regina raises an inquiring eyebrow. "You're ready to leave now? To go where?"

"To Storybrooke." Hades snaps again as if it should be obvious.

"Oh, really Lord Death? To do what?"

"I'm going to kill that miserable bastard."

Regina laughs derisively. "You and what army?"

He stares pointedly at his sister-in-law.

Regina shakes her head emphatically and holds out her hands as if warding off an attacker. "Oh no, don't look at me. I'm not going to stand by and let him hurt your child, but I'm not going to help you kill him either."

Hades groans in dyer exasperation. He lifts his chin, staring at the ceiling, he bellows, "Zeus!"

He waits an acceptable interval and then tries again. "Zeus!"

He paces.

When no response is forthcoming, he shouts louder, demanding. "Zeus, don't pretend you don't know what's going on down here. Get your lily-white ass down here and help me!"

When he's met with a profoundly deafening silence, he glances at Regina again.

She shrugs. "Did you really think insulting him was going to work?"

"You call him. He'll answer you. He likes you."

"Will you stop that!" She orders with hostility. "He's your brother. He has been for… I don't know how many centuries. It has certainly been long enough for the two of you to learn how to talk to each other."

Hades frowns. "Stop what?"

"Every time you and I are talking, and the subject of your brother comes up, you act as if I have some sort of almighty control over him. Like maybe I'm somehow privy to his secrets, or like you think I've seen him naked."

"Have you?"

Regina rolls her eyes and declines to answer such a ludicrous question. Shielding her eyes from the expected upcoming flash of brilliant lightning, she calmly calls out in a much quieter voice, "Zeus, a little help down here, if you please, sir."

As expected, she receives an immediate reply although not from the one she anticipated. Aphrodite, daughter of Zeus, arrives, striding out of a dazzling burst of soft pink light that is far less blinding; but no less spectacular than her father's. She smiles warmly for all and gives her immediate attention to Regina. "Daddy sends his regards. He asked me to tell you that, regrettably, he's just the teensy-tiniest bit busy right now and that I am to help you with anything you need. So, here I am. At your service."

Hades sighs in exasperation. "He's busy."

Aphrodite nods. "Hello Uncle." She chimes softly as she drops a light kiss on his cheek. He's in a meeting with some bigwig muckity-mucks."

Hades scowls. "Does he know what's going on down here right now?"

The goddess of love flashes another captivating smile. "Of course, he does, silly. Daddy knows everything."

"And whatever he's doing, it's more important than this? Hades gestures to the group of people around him.

Aphrodite shrugs provocatively. "He told me to tell you that he will see you as soon as he's free. He wants a word with you too."

"And exactly who are these all-important bigwigs he's meeting with?"

"He told me you would ask. He also told me to tell you that he's meeting with the United Brotherhood of Its-none-of-your-damn-business."

Hades huffs, but before he can continue on his present course, Regina steps into the conversation again. "Aphrodite, we need a word with the current Dark One. Here, we have the home turf advantage, or at least your uncle does. Think you can fetch him for us?"

"Gosh is that all? This should be child's play!" She pauses for a moment, obviously thinking. Decision made, she turns a little circle, sashaying and posing as if she's on a catwalk in Milan while she glamours into the image of Rumpelstiltskin's wife. "Be back in a jiff." She snaps her fingers and disappears from view walking back into the same soft pink patina that she walked out of on arrival.

While they wait for her return, Cora, still suffering the lingering effects of the dementors kiss, leans against a wall fanning herself. Glistening with noticeable perspiration, she asks, "Isn't there some places cooler we can wait. I think we've all been down here next to this volcanic pit a little too long."

* * *

Eyeing her mother with concern, Regina re-shackles both Fiona and Bellatrix with the wave of her hand and with a second wave, they all find themselves magically transported to a lush green spot outside the mouth of the cave where foliage is dense, and sweet-smelling wildflowers grow freely. Standing in unfettered evening sunlight, Zelena reaches for her husband's hand; a look of uncertainty and panic washing over her.

"Hades?" She says as the gravity of their situation takes root. She searches his face beseechingly. "What have you done?"

He smiles patiently and assures. "Don't worry, my love. Everything will work out."

Rolling her eyes at her own choice of words, Regina declares, "Snow White would approve."

Hades cringes. "Not at all why I did this."

Regina nods. "I know that. I'm just saying…"

Zelena raises an eyebrow. "Exactly what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, Greenie, that the balance has been restored. This place was never meant to be a hellish purgatory. It was meant to be limbo - a place for troubled souls to come rest, reflect, and find closure before moving on to their final destination."

Zelena suddenly looks more worried than before. "But, Zeus took your power when he cast you down from Olympus. If you've released your hold on this place…"

Hades nods. "Then I release my claim on the power of its residents."

She shakes her head. "But Hades…"

"Shh." He places a gentle finger to her lips and drops his voice to a whisper. "The truth is, this whole debacle is my fault. Fiona would never have gotten a foothold if I hadn't left her in charge. But it's done and it's too late to reverse that decision. This was the only way to rein her in. Zelena, as long as I hold this place captive for the sake of darkness, as long as there are those who would seek to use that darkness for their own means, our children will never be safe. That is beyond unacceptable. The welfare of our children is worth this and so much more. For them, there is no cost I won't pay. There is no sacrifice too great."

Harry and Ron breathe deeply drawing in healthy amounts of fresh air as they loosen their collars and roll up their sleeves; all the while keeping a watchful eye on Bellatrix and Fiona.

Concerned about her condition, Regina wearily supports and guides her mother to a nearby boulder, not the least bit surprised or ungrateful when she suddenly feels the much-needed strength in Robin's hand beneath her elbow or in the arm that knows just when to find its way around her waist.

Once Cora is safely seated, Regina allows him to guide her as she turns and collapses against the same boulder, sitting immediately to her mother's left.

"What was that?" Cora asks, still sounding far away and dazed.

Regina squints and studies her mother's face, trying to pick up the thread of her thoughts. "What? The Dementors kiss?"

Cora nods feebly. Her thoughts still disjointed, her eyes still unfocused. "That was…" She sniffs suddenly, making a weakened attempt to square her shoulders and maintain the minuscule shred of composure she has regained since her assault.

"Unimaginable excruciating. Robin finishes for them both as he kneels before his wife and attempts to loosen the clasp on her cloak.

Despite her own exhaustion, Regina makes a pitiful attempt to stop him, slapping gently at his hands. "Don't." She whispers for their ears only.

Understanding, Robin glances briefly at Fiona and Bella, who are several feet away. He whispers quietly, "They're restrained, the kid is safe… and I have to. Your roasting under this heavy thing." He releases the clasp even as she shakes her head in protest and pushes the cloak from her shoulders. "Just sit here. Cool off…" He eyes her with concern; placing an affectionate palm gently against an overly warm, rose-colored cheek. "And don't argue with me… We both know you don't have the energy."

Cora watches quietly, confused and astonished by the sight of her daughter's clearly visible vulnerability in the moment not to mention her distended abdomen; clearly heavy with child.

Regina weakly opens her mouth to offer the argument her husband doesn't want to hear and then, rolling her eyes, she quietly mutters, "I know I'm repeating myself but, I have no idea how Zelena does this. How she allowed herself to be exposed to the possibility of a second child…" she shakes her head and inhales deeply.

Robin laughs quietly and whispers. "Your brother-in-law seems to think you wouldn't pass up the chance for a similar opportunity."

Regina chuckles softly in derision as she smiles and runs her fingers through Robin's hair. "My brother-in-law is an oversexed buffoon who apparently thinks anyone in possession of godly status is irresistible to us mere mortal women."

"I've told you before, there's nothing mere about you."

"Maybe there's not, but I don't feel that way right now. I think Bella is pretty much down for the count. I don't think she's going to give us much trouble anymore. But if Fiona looks like she's getting a second wind, or maybe like she wants to push her luck, do me a favor, and shoot her ass."

Robin flashes his smile. "She will look like a bloody porcupine when I'm done with her."

"And if I pass out…"

He shrugs. "I'll get you home."

She nods. "While I'm unconscious, see if you can talk our niece into giving her little brother back to their parents." She touches the belly that Robin's body shields from the eyes of those that would seek to do her and a pint-sized deity harm. "Robin, I feel like there's a Bacchanalian orgy going on inside my body and my invitation got lost in the mail."

He smiles sympathetically. "Just rest." He presses the back of his hand to her forehead curiously. "You're boiling. When this is over, I'll take you home and put you in another ice-cold bath."

"You say the sweetest things."

Trying to hold her own tongue, Cora closes her eyes and wishes she were not witness to this conversation.

Robin shrugs, even if he were aware of them, he would choose to disregard Cora's private opinions. "Yep, that's me, incurable romantic at your service, my love."

The frown on Regina's face begins to form even before he's through speaking and her overheated rose-colored flesh abruptly goes alarmingly pale.

"What, what's wrong Regina?"

Too troubled to answer his question, Regina shrugs back into her cloak and forces herself to her feet with no small amount of difficulty. She leaves Robin and Cora staring after her in wonder as she steps quickly in her sister's direction.

"Regina." Zelena doesn't know which she finds more unsettling; the look of alarm in her younger sister's eyes or the fact that she's clearly beyond exhaustion.

Likewise, Regina finds she's much too tired to waste time easing into the topic, so she jumps right in with both feet. "Once you to get Rumpelstiltskin here, exactly what do you intend to do with him?"

Both Zelena and Hades look at her as if she has suddenly and irrevocably lost her mind. Zelena is the first to speak. "As long as he's breathing, my son will never be safe."

Regina hisses incredulously, barely above a whisper. "So, you intend to kill him?"

Hades shrugs as if she just accused him of parking illegally. "I don't really see that there's any other option."

Regina presses her fingertips to her temples as if she's trying to ward off a migraine and shakes her head. "You two aren't thinking clearly. I completely understand that the children must be protected at all costs, but you're not looking beyond that. Has either one of you considered what happens after you kill him?"

Zelena sighs dramatically. If my children get to live productive happy lives, what do I care?"

Regina brings her hands together in front of her mouth. More to herself than them, she whispers, "Spoken like grieving angry parents."

Hades snaps, "Can you blame us?"

Regina shakes her head. "No, I don't blame you. I'd be in the same place if we were talking about any one of my kids right now. But, think for a minute. What, you renounce darkness for the sake of your children only to take it up again ten minutes later…" She squints suspiciously as a new horrifying thought occurs to her. "Or was that the plan all along?"

Hades scowls. "Regina, what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you can't kill him. He is the Dark One! Whoever kills Gold takes the Dark One in."

"And, you think that was my plan. Regina, which one of us isn't thinking now? I've been a god for more centuries than most mortals can count. After that, you really think I want to downgrade far enough to actually become the Dark One? Don't insult me like that."

Regina sighs with frigid uncertainty. "Okay, if that's not the plan then what is - to stand by and watch while your wife becomes the Dark One? Because if either one of you is planning on killing him that is what's going to happen. I understand you can't just call it water under the bridge and walk away, but you have to think of an alternative to murder."

Hades and Zelena turn to each other, but before either can voice their thoughts or even make a decision, Aphrodite reappears, once again in possession of her own glorious form with a paralyzed Rumpelstiltskin in tow.

Regina waves a hand directly in front of his slack-jawed petrified face. When her movement registers no response, no indication that the lights are on, she turns to the goddess. "What happened to him?"

Aphrodite giggles; delighted with herself. "He kissed me. Though, to be fair, he thought I was his wife."

Robin stares with a bizarre mix of fascination and obvious discomfort. "This is what happens to the men who kiss you?"

"It is if I want it to be." She winks playfully.

Robin takes a trepidation step backward even as he laughs. "I don't think he's ever looked better."

Before the situation can devolve into sheer calamity, Regina takes Robin's elbow. "Aphrodite, thank you for your assistance. If you don't mind, my husband and I would like to lift home now, please."

Zelena's mouth falls open in shock. "You're leaving… Now?"

Regina nods decisively. I told you less than ten minutes ago; I won't stand by and allow him to harm your children, but I won't help you kill him either. Whatever happens next is entirely up to you."


	22. Chapter 22

Regina sighs in exasperation when her mother waves her over. Still, she holds up a finger silently asking Aphrodite to wait a moment longer. When the lighthearted blonde nods agreeably, she steps momentarily back to her mother's side. Reclaiming her seat on the same boulder, she forces herself not to recoil when Cora takes her hand.

"I'm leaving now, Mother. With any luck at all, I won't be back here. At least not until it's time for me to be."

Cora offers her a tightly controlled smile, one that is tinged with a nearly imperceptible hint of melancholy. "As you should. Go live your life. Be well. Be happy. And for goodness sake, get some rest. Regina, you do look dreadful."

Regina nods, laughing drolly. "Heaven forbid the queen should have a single hair out of place."

"Don't start. You should be kinder to yourself. You really do look run down, though I suspect this has something to do with it." Cora discreetly touches Regina's concealed but swollen abdomen and whispers, "How exactly did you come to be carrying your sister's child… Unless I've misunderstood."

"No, Mother. You haven't misunderstood a thing. It's a long story, but the condensed version is… Eliana likes being an only child. She's not ready to give it up. And carrying the child of a god is monumentally harder than carrying a mortal child - not that carrying a mortal child is particularly easy. Your eldest granddaughter is jealous of the new baby and all the attention he's getting. She's tired of her mother being run down and unavailable. She has decided that since Norah likes having brothers so much, she can have hers as well. We're all trying to think of some way to entice Eliana to reverse her decision. Preferably before I wind up giving birth to her little brother."

"If I understand you correctly, you're telling me that a four-year-old child relocated her younger brother from their mother's womb to yours… Out of sibling rivalry."

"A 4½ year old demigoddess, yes."

"It sounds to me like they are entirely too lenient with her."

Regina nods. "They are. I could tell them that until I'm blue in the face, but it will only make them resent me. She's not my daughter. Zelena and I do try to get along with each other… Most days."

"Well, that's progress. Five years ago, all you wanted to do was kill each other."

Regina shrugs. "I still want to slap her across the face at least once a week, but I have precious little time to fight with her. It's not worth it anyway."

"You have a town, three children, and a husband of your own to be concerned with."

Regina offers a tight smile, pleased that her mother at least acknowledged her boys. "Yes, happily, I do, and that's more than enough for any one woman to deal with."

"You should get back to them."

Relenting a little, allowing herself to feel things she wishes she didn't feel; Regina quietly admits "You know, that might be a little easier for me to accomplish if I thought there was a chance you were someplace better. Why are you still here? You should leave this place."

Cora's eyes widen noticeably as she thinks about the answer to that question. "There's not much I regret. As appalling as most people would find that, Regina, it's the truth."

"Well, there must be something. There has to be. Something's holding you here."

"Among my excruciatingly few regrets – the deplorable state of my relationship with you and your sister is at the top of the list."

Regina is silent for several long beats before she inhales deeply and surrenders. "Well, don't stay here on my account. Consider yourself released. I have no desire to hold you here."

"Don't you?"

Regina shrugs and then shakes her head. "Not really, Mother. There are old hurts that will probably never heal completely, but I do love you. If I didn't, those old hurts wouldn't resonate quite so sharply. Still, I wouldn't wish to see any person I love lingering in this place. That includes you."

Cora wraps an arm around her daughter's shoulders and squeezes with as much affection as she's capable of showing. "I think your sister would be happy to see me linger here for all of eternity."

Regina shrugs. "She's angry, and with good reason. That doesn't mean that she doesn't love you too."

"Could have fooled me."

"She does, Mother. She's just can't say so – she takes after you in that regard. You let her down. That's a hard thing to get over, but people don't carry grudges against people they don't care about."

"You're capable of setting aside you're hurt, anger, and disappointment. How do I get her to do the same?"

"Have you tried, 'I'm sorry?"

Cora's squints as the sun sinks low in the sky and the evening breeze blows through their hair. "Those two little words magically heal every transgression?"

Regina chuckles. "God no! There are some things - I'm sorry - will never heal."

"Then what's the point of saying it? If it doesn't do her any good?"

"Maybe it's not about her. Maybe it would do you some good."

Robin approaches but stops before he gets too close, not wanting to intrude on what he senses is an obviously private moment. He catches Regina's eye, smiles and points to the watch on his wrist.

Regina nods her understanding and turns her attention briefly back to her mother. "Fix what you can. Let go of what you can't. Find peace. If I can find a place where I belong… So, can you."

"Regina, darling, that sounds suspiciously like hope."

Regina rolls her eyes as she rises to her feet and drolly agrees, "Doesn't it, though?" She lingers only long enough to kiss Cora's cheek and then walks away free and clear.

Returning to Robin's side, Regina acknowledges Ron and Harry, who are also waiting to depart. "Going our way?"

Harry shrugs. "No reason not to. The dementors are no longer a threat. Ordinarily, I would prefer to take them home, but under the circumstances…"

Ron frowns and wrinkles his nose in disdain. "Fine by me. The sooner we get out of this bloody hellhole, the happier I'll be. Personally, I've never enjoyed the thought of being this close to Bellatrix Lestrange. Her death has not changed that. In life, she caused nothing but mischief and misery. She condemned too many people I care about to grief and loneliness. She killed too many loved ones, not the least of which was Harry's godfather, Sirius Black."

Alarmed, Harry speaks up again. "I hadn't thought about that. Someone, please tell me he's not here."

Aphrodite speaks softly, allaying his worries. "No, rest easy, Mr. Potter. You need not trouble yourself. Your godfather, your parents, Remus and his colorfully charming wife Tonks, and other friends you lost in the fight against Lord Voldemort; they left corporeal life in the service of good, with clear untroubled souls. They are at peace."

Harry nods slightly; almost bowing. "Thank you for telling me that. Knowing that makes their absence a little less unbearable. What will happen to Bella and Fiona now?"

Aphrodite offers him a melancholy version of her beautiful smile. "I'm afraid that is up to my uncle and remains to be seen, Mr. Potter. He's not known for forgiveness."

Robin changes the subject. "Come home with us. Regina desperately needs a rest, let me sear you a couple of steaks on the grill and pour you both a pint. It's the least I can do after all your help."

Ron grins eagerly, nodding his head in acceptance. "Don't mind if I do. Come on Harry, I'm starved!"

Harry thinks it over. "Only if Regina agrees. If you want us to disappear from your sight so you can rest and recuperate unencumbered by guests, I completely understand."

Tired as she is, Regina shrugs. "I'm absolutely certain that children would love to spend a few minutes with the two of you; if you don't mind. I know you weren't properly introduced earlier. Here in this realm, they think you are as much a part of the storybooks, as Ron thought Robin was earlier today."

"Oh sure, no trouble. We'd be delighted." Ron nods. "I, myself, can hardly wait to tell Hugo that Robin Hood lives. He's likely to think his old dad having him on."

Robin chuckles amiably. "Young Henry, our oldest, is going to want to give our little adventure today one of his catchy code names. Operation Lullaby, or something like that."

Regina's eyes widen with mirth. "Roland is going to want to learn to fly a broomstick, hear all about the whomping willow, and he'll want to torment his younger sister with the more noxious selections from a carton of Bertie Bott's. and Norah…"

Robin and Regina turn to each other laughing and announce in unison, "Chocolate frogs, and magic wands."

Regina nods as Harry and Ron smile agreeably. "I just hope I can stay conscious for it all."

Aphrodite offers sweetly, "I'm pretty sure I can help you with that. You'll likely still be tired, but I think I can keep it from getting any worse." She turns her attention momentarily away, beckoning to Hades and Zelena, "If you two will step this way for just a moment, I'd like to return something that belongs to you."

Feeling impatient, but curious, Hades and Zelena approach with raised eyebrows.

"When he's available, Daddy wants a word with Fiona and Bellatrix." She turns a repugnant scowl on each woman. "He's not at all happy with the pair of you. It really is unwise to endanger the lives of our children. Aphrodite magically swaps their current restraints with new ones fierce enough to hold gods captive. "There, you won't be going anywhere now. Not unless under the authority of Zeus."

Bellatrix has the good grace to look frightened, if also slightly curious.

Fiona groans in disgust under the weight of paper-thin restraints that mysteriously feel as if they are weighted down by two-ton iron anvils.

Ignoring them both, Aphrodite declares warmly, Now, if you will allow me..." She snaps her fingers with a dramatic flourish.

In the next breath, both sisters speak the same two words - Regina with a protracted sigh of relief, and Zelena with both a dreadful groan and a radiant smile. "Thank you!"

Regina tosses off her cloak and wraps it around her sister's shoulders to replace the one Bella ruined moments before. While her own swollen abdomen mysteriously begins to retract and disappear, her sister's begins to expand once more; accommodating her son as he returns to his proper place."

Hades rests a protective hand over his wife's belly. "Aphrodite, you beautiful creature! I am in your debt!"

The bubbly, vivacious blonde shrugs as if it's of no concern. "Sorry Uncle, it's understandable that you didn't know about it. You haven't spent a lot of time up on the mountain for a while. About half a century ago, our pint-sized deities began playing a new game – a prenatal version of hide and seek. Sometimes, it's done solely for entertainment. Other times, like with your little imp, the older sibling is not happy with the new impending arrival. I'm afraid I've forgotten whose idea the prank was initially, but for the first few days, all of our expectant mothers and fathers were in an uproar. Olympus was in the state of total pandemonium. What happened to the baby! Find the baby! Who's got the baby!" Aphrodite giggles despite her best effort not to. The little tikes seem to think it can be done all in good fun. The parents, not so much! Daddy and Hera had to come up with a way to reverse their shenanigans." She squeezes Zelena's shoulders affectionately as she tells Regina. "Thank you for taking such good care of him. His sister won't be able to do that again. She can try, but I've fixed it so that nothing will happen. Her efforts will be in vain, and my new little cousin will be safe and sound until it's time for his grand debut."

Regina chuckles dryly. "Eliana is not going to be happy, but thank you again. None of us was comfortable with that arrangement. I'm sure my nephew is happy to be back with Mummy."

Zelena smiles despite the return of pregnancy-related symptoms as she caresses her renewed baby bump. He seems calmer than when he was last with me. I hope it lasts for a while."

* * *

At home, fetching a round of ale for himself, Henry, Sr and their guests. Robin takes a moment to poke his head through the kitchen archway. Catching Regina's eye, he holds up a bottle of pinot noir, silently asking her a question.

On the verge of shaking her head no, she suddenly remembers, there's no longer any reason she can't enjoy a glass or two and nods instead.

Recognizing and fully comprehending, the reason for the silent flicker of indecision that is immediately followed by her sigh of relief and acceptance, he flashes his smile and returns to the kitchen to complete his task.

* * *

Back in the cave that houses the gateway to Tartarus, the Dark One is restrained, imprisoned by magically restrictive manacles he does not know how to free himself from. The concentration of power he feels emanating from his restraints is worrisome. Not for the first time in his life, or even the 1000th he silently wishes he could rid himself of the loathsome weakling Rumpelstiltskin. Sneering despite this fact, he answers his accusers. "Of course, I did it. Did you really think I wouldn't?" His eyes lock onto and bore into Zelena's. "You may have, but you didn't honestly believe I would forget about my boy – about what you did to him?"

Growling with unfettered rage and hatred, Hades rushes at him, shoulders forward, head down, intent on sending him flying into the fiery abyss of eternity, but before he feels the desired retaliatory collision, Gold's body is engulfed in teal colored flames.

As their prisoner's high-pitched screams of agony reverberate, echoing repeatedly off the cave walls, Hades glances backward over his shoulder to find that his wife has beaten him to the punch. Swiveling back around, he turns his eyes to their enemy once again.

She hasn't thrown an emerald-colored fireball as she normally would. Instead, her power presents itself as a flame that is a deep rich teal in color and still linked to her. Instead of a freely-thrown fireball, the flame emanates directly from the palm of her hand as if she has become the living embodiment of a flamethrower. She lets the fire burn unrestrained for an interminable long twenty-second countdown while she relishes in Gold's anguished cries of pain. Then, she extinguishes the flame and watches with venom in her smile as his body rapidly heals itself.

Leaning in close, for her ears only, Hades whispers, "You should have let me."

Zelena shakes her head, taking a moment to stare at her own hand in wonder before she whispers just as quietly. "I can't do that, my love. You're mortal now. Can't risk the chance he would've pulled you down into the pit with him. Our son is going to need his father. The only question now is, "What can we do with him? It infuriates me to no end to have to admit it, but I'm afraid my sister is right. "We can't kill him, and as much as I would enjoy it, I don't have time to come down here and torture him every day for the rest of eternity. Eliana already feels neglected. Our primary focus must be on her and her brother; not this degenerate malcontent.

Resisting, hungry for vengeance, Hades nods slowly but before he can speak the blinding flash of lightning followed by the cacophony of thunder that signifies his elder brother's arrival on scene interrupts them both.

"Perhaps I can offer a solution to your dilemma."

Hades turns on his heel, facing Zeus with barely tempered rage. "Oh, now you show up! I thought family meant something to you! Or is it just my branch of the family you're apathetic toward?"

"Careful with the accusations Hades. I assure you I'm not apathetic, I was momentarily busy; that is all. Whatever differences we may have, your children share my blood. I'm not about to allow harm to come to them if it is within my considerable power to prevent it. However, if you do not wish me to, once again, become apoplectic where you are concerned, you will adjust your tone before I change my mind."

Hades scowls, trying to ignore his own curiosity, but his intrigue quickly wins out. "Change your mind about what?"

"I came down here to extend an olive branch. You have finally shown that you know what it is to love another more than you love yourself; even more so than you love power. Such an unselfish act deserves recognition and reward – but if you're more interested in insulting me…"

Inhaling deeply, and counting to five, Hades steadies himself and his temper. "Never mind us. Can we set that aside for a moment?"

Zeus nods thoughtfully. "I'm willing."

"What would you suggest we do with him?" Hades jabs an accusatory index finger in Gold's direction as Zelena takes a moment to indulge in another glorious flame throwing exhibition.

The Dark One's host howls again in excruciating misery.

Releasing him a full thirty seconds later, Zelena smiles, getting used to the change in magical ability, and shrugs as if she's accepted a compromise. "That's not exactly what I was going for, but I'll take it."

Zeus tries to keep a straight face but still, the barest hint of a smile escapes him. "I think it's safe to say, you can expect a few other godlike boosts to your powers courtesy of my nephew, but unfortunately, as you've already ascertained, Regina is right. Killing him is not an option. However, now that you tortured him and taken rather obvious pleasure in doing it, you can't set him free either. Do that and, the feud between you will never stop. The children will never be safe. Therefore, only one acceptable resolution comes to mind. Rumpelstiltskin must no longer be the Dark One's host. A fitting punishment, I think given the fact that he craves power and strength above all else."

Instantly approving of the idea because it will amount to a lifelong torment for the man without his beast, Zelena still manages to raise a doubtful eyebrow. "But how to we accomplish that? The location of his dagger is his most closely guarded secret."

Zeus chuckles. "My dear sister, he has no secrets from me; no one does."

No longer resistant to the heat in this place, beads of perspiration form on his brow as Hades watches his brother step on the edge of the abyss were Rumpelstiltskin waits, wildly shaking his head; objecting to the end of life as he knows it.

The sovereign head Of Olympus waits for both parents to nod their consent before he raises both arms, extending them their full length over the top of his head. With his palms together, he turns his focus inward and calls for the Dark One's ancient blade. Amid a horrifying ghastly display of thunder and lightning the dagger flickers momentarily in an out of sight before materializing fully.

The blade glows molten hot and liquid fire traces the name etched in the blade as Zelena volunteers hopefully, "Let me?"

Zeus appears to give the request a moment's thought before shaking his head. "Though I understand the compulsion completely, that would not be wise, my dear. Your little one may be strong enough to give your powers a considerable boost, but he could not withstand such an event; not even if he did prevent you from taking in the darkness yourself. It's best left it to the power of a fully-grown god to entrap the beast in the blade."

Unaware of what's about to happen, Zelena raises an inquiring eyebrow.

Zeus hesitates for an agonizingly long moment before finally deciding to point an index finger in his brother's direction. "Don't make me regret this, Hades. The consequences of such an action will be dire."

Before either of them has the fraction of a second necessary to blink, a white-hot bolt of lightning explodes from Zeus' outstretched fingertip and slams full force into the chest of the former god of the underworld, knocking him backward off his feet onto the dirty floor of the cave and rendering him lifeless.

Zelena instantly hits her knees. Cradling Hades' crumpled gray body in her arms, she feels all warmth leave him as she screeches violently, "What if you done? You monster! It's not bad enough you have to lord your power over him, you have to…." She comes up short, completely taken aback in the very next instant, and is temporarily rendered speechless when she surprisingly feels her husband's hands, strong and warm with new life envelop the smaller, more delicate hand resting over his heart.

Hades struggles to open his eyes as he whispers thickly, "Shh, don't berate him, darling. It was necessary."

While Zelena squints in utter astonishment, the one she loves struggles to sit upright, wincing and rubbing the rapidly closing wound on his chest as he reaches out to steady himself; one hand against a cave wall while the other gently pats his wife's. "Though, you could have given me some warning, brother."

Zeus shrugs wholly unconcerned. "Where's the fun in that? Besides, warning you wouldn't have made it hurt any less."

Trembling visibly as much from the rush of adrenaline that came with his death as with her newfound joy, Zelena wails, her voice full of hot tears. "Well, you could've warned me, you brute! I didn't know he was going to come back!"

Zeus manages a look of contrition. "My apologies, sister. I assumed you understand. That's how it happens. It's the only way to restore a god to full power."

Hades rises to his feet, gently pulling his wife along with him and wraps her in a warm comforting embrace.

She clings to him, reveling in his warmth despite the rapidly evaporating scent of soot and cinders until something Zeus said slides home in her mind. She raises a hopeful eyebrow; her gaze traveling between the two males curiously. "Full power?"

Hades nods reassuringly before tangling his fingers in her ginger hair as he gently lifts her chin for a heated kiss.

Zeus watches the two of them for three seconds, until doing so becomes indiscreet, then clears his throat.

When he has his brother's attention, he lightly tosses the dagger. "I believe this rite is yours."

Hades eyes the heated dagger like a shark who smells fresh blood in the water.

Gold trembles pitifully inside his clattering restraints. Helpless to do anything else, he shakes his head violently, but in vain.

While the blade and the name etched there are still molten hot, Hades charges across the space between them; thrusting the blade deep into his enemy's heart, driving it in all the way to the hilt with the momentum and weight of his entire body behind it.

An incendiary burst of dusty red flames consumes them both and seemingly devours everything within its reach. For long moments, that's all Zelena I can see. Nothing else; just a mass of thick, opaque, dusty red flames that superheat the already unbearably hot temperature around them making it temporarily impossible to breathe, for fear of scorching one's own lungs. Just when she can wait no longer, just when her brain is screaming for oxygen, the temperature begins to fall back to its normal insufferable range. A moment longer, and the dense flames are not quite so impenetrable. Still another moment, and she can finally make out the tall, lean frame of her husband. When she can sense his movement within the flames, and knows that he is untouched by their heated fury, she smiles and forces herself to stand still and wait. Another moment later, and the inferno vanishes from sight as if it never existed at all.

As Hades steps back into his wife's outstretched arms, what's left of Storybrooke's most villainous coward clings limply to him; at least until Hades shakes him off and leaves him lying on the cave floor, his former restraints in a useless heap on the ground beside him are totally unnecessary. Rumpelstiltskin is no longer a threat to anyone, except for perhaps himself.

Before the married couple can locks lips again, Zeus clears his throat. "The dagger, if you please."

Handing it over, Hades queries, "What are you going to do with it?"

Zeus smacks the flat of the blade against his palm thoughtfully as he stares at the new inscription. Now a containment vessel, the dagger is, once again, emblazoned with its ancient lettering and the words 'Dark One."

"I'm going to lock it away behind an impenetrable army and maybe we'll get to enjoy a few 1000 eons before some ignorant fool gets brazen enough to try to claim it for his or herself." With that, he vanishes in a brilliant flash of lightning taking Bella and Fiona along with him as his voice thunders in his wake, "Use the restored power wisely Hades."

Full of warmth and vigor, the restored god mumbles his understanding incoherently before giving his full and undivided attention back to the radiant woman in his arms… much to Mr. Gold's displeasure.

* * *

Looking around their formal dining table, Robin and Regina share a warm smile with each other before returning their gazes to the eager faces of their children whose eyes are aglow with delight as they listen to boyhood tales of magical school days as told by their renowned dinner guests. With the main course complete, dinner plates have been pushed toward the center of the table to make room for dessert plates, coffee cups, and lively conversation.

When Ronald Weasley pauses in his current tale to help himself to a forkful from one of Regina's warm flaky apple turnovers and his ears go pink with embarrassment when he narrowly avoids missing his mouth and dropping the whole load into the napkin across his lap, Roland giggles from his place on the other side of the table. "That's okay Mr. Ron. The same thing happens to me all the time!"

From her seat next to him, Regina reaches out discreetly and pokes the boy gently in the ribs. When he squirms in response to her affectionate touch and giggles once more, she admonishes lightheartedly. "It happens to you so often because you're constantly trying to fit four bites worth onto the fork at once."

Smiling happily, Roland shrugs. "It's not my fault, Regina. You shouldn't make 'em taste so good!"

Norah objects boisterously as if she's afraid her mom might actually take the boy's suggestion to heart. "Uh-uh! Don't listen to him, Mama!"

Scowling at her brother, she explains, "If she makes them taste not so good, then it won't be so much fun to eat them! Just slow down Roro. Don't be such a piggy."

Before anyone can scold her for calling her brother names, she smiles brilliantly and announces with enthusiasm, "I wanna go to Hogwarts when I get big!"

Henry, Sr. and Regina both smile patiently, as does Robin, but his wife doesn't miss the noticeable glint of apprehension in his bright blue eyes when he chuckles and says from his end of the table, "Okay, but slow down there. Don't be in such a hurry, Firefly. You've got about seven years before we even need to start talking about you flying away to magic school."

"Daddy!" Norah protests from the seat at his right with a giggle of her own.

When a knock sounds at the front door, Regina's father rises from his seat at the other end of the table and discreetly excuses himself to go and answer it.

Moments later he returns with Snow and Belle following close behind.

Normally polite, Belle is too frazzled to bother with the uses of formality and etiquette at the moment. "Is Rumple here?"

Shaking her head, Regina spreads her arms wide gesturing toward those at the table and indicating his absence by default.

"He's not at home. He was in the shop a little while ago. Someone said they saw a woman that looked like me take him away magically. They knew it wasn't me because she just vanished… in a pink puff of air."

Regina nods. "That was Aphrodite."

Belle squints incredulously. "Aphrodite? What, as in the goddess of love?"

Regina nods again.

"What does she want with my Rumple?"

Regina inhales quietly, silently noting by the use of the possessive pronoun that the couple's on again-off again romance must be on again. "Aphrodite didn't want anything with him. She was just his escort to the underworld."

"The underworld!"

"Turns out he was complicit in the dementor attacks that have been happening. Some citizens of the underworld wanted to use Zelena and Hades' baby to attempt a resurrection spell. The Dark One secured passage for the dementors between their world and ours. Their intended role was to abduct Zelena before she gave birth to her son."

Noticing that Belle seems to be both weak-kneed and disgusted, the elderly monarch places a firm hand under her elbow and guides her into his empty seat at the table.

Belle props her chin in the palm of her hand and curls her fingers around her mouth. At length, she asks, "What is going to happen to him?"

Regina shakes her head. "I'm afraid we don't know. That's up to Hades and Zelena. Hades relinquished his power for the sake of his children. That's where things stood when we left."

"Regina, how could you? You just left Rumple to fend for himself?"

"Against a defunct god, and one witch… Even so, I'll admit, the odds aren't exactly in his favor, but I made it perfectly clear that I would not cross the line between protecting their child and helping them kill the one who facilitated his abduction."

"Oh, well good for you?" Belle snaps with sudden hostility. "Thanks for that. Don't let a little thing like impending murder interrupt your dinner party."

"Now, just a minute!" Regina says quietly with the ice in her words. "I'm not going to sit here and advocate for vigilante justice, but he did assist Fiona and another witch with their plan to murder an innocent baby. He's still angry, as he has every right to be, because Zelena killed Neal, but the three of them have got to settle this feud amongst themselves. Gold can't go around helping people snatch babies, something will have to be done with him. It's not like we can put him in one of this world's standard prisons and expect it to hold him. Nor do I think Zelena will kill him. I don't think she wants to be the Dark One. That would be a huge step back for her, and even though she'd sooner gouge out her own eyes than admit it, I think she knows that."

Belle sighs with resignation. "I don't know whether to be terrified that they took him, or be absolutely livid that he clearly didn't stop to think about the repercussions of his actions. "I know one child can never replace another, but he has another son to think of. Gideon needs his father."

Regina nods. "All the children touched by this nightmare need their parents."

"So, what are we supposed to do? Sit and wait? For how long?"

Regina shrugs, but before she can offer any other form of answer, a black oily stain begins to form on the floor a few feet away as Lord Death's portal from the underworld opens up and ejects a frazzled, beleaguered Rumpelstiltskin who fumbles wildly, unsteady on his feet, until the closing portal widens just enough to also eject his elegant walking cane.

Snagging it midair, and leaning on it heavily, as if he is in great pain, Mr. Gold announces, "Thank the gods! They booted me out before they tore each other's clothes off!" He sneers in response to his newest surroundings when he realizes where he is. "Though, I have no idea why they sent me here!"

Regina bites her lower lip to keep from laughing. "Don't worry about it, Gold. That's just my sister's way of letting me know that she didn't kill you. You don't have to stay if you don't want to."

He limps toward the front door, reaching out for his ex-wife's hand as he goes. Snidely, he tosses over his shoulder, "Thanks for the help, Regina!"

She lifts her chin in indignation and chides, calling out after him. "You're still breathing, aren't you?"

The front door slams behind him and, wholly unbothered by his rude exit, Regina offers Snow the practiced smile of a gracious hostess. "Pull up a seat. Want some dessert?"


	23. Chapter 23

After Snow's departure following dinner, Regina leaves their guests momentarily in the company of Robin and the children to visit her private study. From the phone on her desk she dials her answering service to be certain that there is no pressing mayoral business for her to attend to before day's end. Satisfied to find that nothing urgent will call her away, she hangs up and heads for the upstairs hallway only to be halted by her sister's sudden appearance as she turns, reaching back to close the door behind herself.

From the elegant oval-shaped Venetian mirror on the wall behind her desk, Zelena calls out, "Youuuu whoooo." as she smiles her cat that ate the canary smile; her buoyant red curls exquisitely framed by hand-blown glass that is set in onyx with a delicate filigree of silver veins etched in amongst a pattern of white oleander vines.

Stepping into the room once more, Regina squints curiously as she closes the door. "Since when do you use mirrors, Greenie?"

Zelena continues to smile from the elegantly upholstered chaise in her bedroom where she reclines and splays an expertly manicured hand over her swollen middle. "Since I'm back to feeling like death warmed over. I don't feel like dropping in tonight. I don't even feel like crossing the room to pick up the phone. I just want to lay here and be pampered… but at least my sweet boy is back where he belongs."

"I'm glad he's back where he belongs too. Regina laughs wryly.

"Bet you are."

"Playing host to a deity is certainly not a job for a lightweight. That was an unforgettable experience."

Zelena chortles quietly with smug amusement. "Snow collapsed straight away. Couldn't handle it even for a few seconds. Emma didn't, but she wailed like a banshee."

"Yes, well, the only child Emma has yet to give birth to is Henry. He and I had an adjustment period immediately following his adoption. During which, he wailed relentlessly but once we got through it he was a very easy baby. In fact, with the exception of running away to find his birth mother at the age of 10 and the difficult months that followed, he was a particularly easy child to raise. It isn't at all difficult for me to imagine him being an easy child to carry. For a young man with two mothers who don't always agree with each other; one of whom happens to be his great grandmother by marriage, a dead father, a couple of extremely young maternal grandparents who are royalty, and a paternal grandfather who just happens to be the Dark One, I think he's extremely well-adjusted. I mean, this is the kind of garbage that permanently shatters the psyches of lesser people. So yes, all that considered, he's been an easy kid. Kids like him don't prepare you for carrying a demigod… Not even temporarily. Come to think of it, none of my children have prepared me for that particular experience. Roland is my ray of sunshine. He believes I am faultless. Henry and Norah know better. Norah's going to be my trial by fire. She's the one who's going to make me fight for the right to keep calling myself a good parent. Henry made me earn it, but she's going to make me fight to keep it… and she's no goddess." Regina offers a bemused smile. "No matter what her daddy thinks."

"I don't think anything can prepare you for carrying a demigod. This is my second time around, and I still wasn't ready. Eliana was different. I'm not sick from the Rh disease this time so, I don't have to deal with that, but in other ways, she was easier. She was calmer than her brother; less combative in the womb. Not that you can tell it to look at her tonight."

"How is my niece tonight?"

"She's sulking in her room. She's furious because we thwarted her efforts to rid herself of her little brother. She was inconsolable. She wailed and threw a tantrum until even Hades lost his patience with her. He told her to go to her room. Now he's heartbroken because she won't speak to either of us. It's not anything new for me. She refuses to speak to me at least twice a week. Not Hades. Big bad god of the underworld is beside himself with misery because his four-year-old daughter hasn't spoken to him for two whole hours."

"That's a dad for you. The only thing they hate worse than the silent treatment are the tears. Norah's bottom lip so much as quivers; Robin panics and goes into 'Mr. Fix-it' mode. but I can't laugh at him too much. Daddy was the same way with me."

"Must have been nice." Zelena says, sounding wistful without her usual dose of resentment.

"I didn't know it at the time, but yes, it was. Give Eliana time. She'll come around. When you're feeling up to it, talk to her about the baby. Try to get her involved. Maybe…" Regina squints thoughtfully. "Let her offer some suggestions for the baby's middle name or show her an ultrasound picture. Roland wasn't exactly thrilled about Norah at first, not until he saw the picture from the second ultrasound. He was fascinated by that. He didn't really start to warm up to the idea of being a big brother until he saw it."

"Roland was just shy of six by then Regina. You don't think that might be a little advanced for Eliana? She's not even five."

"Kids will astound you with what they do, and what they don't, focus on. After we showed Roland the picture from the ultrasound, it took him a few weeks to get around to it, but eventually he started asking questions. He danced around the big one for a while, sort of testing the water before he finally asked,' How did the baby get in there?' With three kids, I'm beginning to understand that they are not going to ask you a question they are not ready to hear the answer to. The trick is to answer their questions honestly without unintentionally giving them additional information that they may not be ready to process yet. Robin and I bought one of those books you read to little kids about where babies come from and the only part of the story that even remotely puzzled him was mention of the umbilical cord. The rest of it, he accepted without a single by question."

"Yes well, assuming she sees the ultrasound picture and starts asking similar questions, that's still going to leave me with a huge problem. One that weighs about 170 pounds. Eliana might have a very similar reaction to Roland's. Her father won't. I can just see the flames leaping from the top of his head now!' You want to read her a book about what?' Regina, He's certainly no prude, but his little girl is going to live for eternity and if by some chance she doesn't, then she's going to die as pure as the driven snow."

Regina lifts her eyes to the ceiling and laughs boldly. "I hate to break it to him, but even at four, that girl is not completely innocent!"

"Oh, don't I know it! But you can't tell him that! Well, you can, but I promise, those words will fall on deaf ears." Zelena squints momentarily. "What are you doing in your study? Don't you have guests to attend to?

"I came up here to phone my answering service and be certain that nothing pressing waits for me at the office. I was considering the notion of reaching out to Zeus when you appeared. If he's agreeable I'd like to offer Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley a few moments to visit with departed loved ones, courtesy of my mirror. What was his frame of mind when he left you and Hades? How did things go down there?"

Zelena offers her a carefree shrug. "Why should his mood matter?"

"Because, if he was hot under the collar when he left you, I'd just as soon leave him in peace."

"Well, I thought he left in a fairly good mood. Of course, who can tell. Gods are a fickle lot. Before he left, he did murder his brother."

Regina's mouth falls open and for a silent instant, she simply stares at her sister's reflection. After another protracted moment, she shakes her head as if to clear away confusion. She knows her ears are not deceiving her, but neither are her eyes. Zelena is far too relaxed; far too calm to be grieving the recent loss of her husband. "Obviously, I'm missing something."

"Yes, so was I. Zeus neglected to forewarn me that the only way to return Hades to his full and former godliness was to stop his pulse with a lightning bolt to the heart. He simply did it without warning. Two hours ago, for one horrifying moment, the unrepentant bastard let me believe I was a widow."

Regina shakes her head again, still trying to make sense of it. "Wait. He stopped his brother's heart without warning?"

Zelena nods. "This is what I'm saying."

"And…" Regina raises an eyebrow. "How is it that you're still breathing. If he didn't give you any warning, then I find it very hard to believe you didn't fly at him and get yourself killed in the process."

"Oh, that would've happened next to be sure if Hades hadn't spontaneously resuscitated before I recovered from the initial moment of shock-induced paralysis."

"So, what? Hades has reclaimed status as a full-fledged deity now? His power is no longer shackled?"

If Zeus is to be trusted. Hades seems a bit weary to me for a newly restored god."

Regina's chuckle carries a hint of derision. "How would you know? Do you have a prior frame of reference?"

"Of course not. What's your point?"

"Zelena, it's only been two hours. Give him time. I imagine a lightning bolt to the heart would make anybody, even the almighty Lord Death, a tad sluggish." She studies her sister's face and the pinched expression she finds there.

"Why so worried? You have to be happy. I would've expected to find you dancing on the ceiling."

"Oh, I'm thrilled… Or I would be if I didn't feel like Hades is squarely under his brother's thumb. One of the last things Zeus said to Hades tonight was,' Don't make me regret this decision.' Feels like he's under scrutiny. Like, if he displeases his brother in the slightest way, he'll be tried, sentenced, and banished to the underworld all over again before he can even hiccup."

"Instead of seeing Zeus as judge, jury, and executioner; try seeing him as a speed bump."

Zelena scowls in confusion as Robin taps lightly on the other side of the door before poking his head in. He offers his wife a raised eyebrow accompanied by a warm smile and Regina nods interpreting the reason for his visit; no further communication is needed between the two of them as Zelena queries, "Zeus, God of Thunder is a speed bump? You're going to have to explain that one to me, Regina."

Out of sight of the mirror, Robin quietly watches conflicting emotions manifest themselves in his wife's dark eyes as she admits, "Zelena, I still have times when I am a heartbeat away from firebombing this whole damned town. Even now, there are odd moments when I would do that with a smile on my face. Sometimes the only speedbumps along that slippery slope down into sweet darkness are the opinions of the people I love."

"Okay, I understand now, but I'm not sure you can call Zeus a speedbump along my husband's possible return trip to the underworld. Doing so would require a certain presumption; a presumption that Hades actually gives a damn what Zeus thinks. He's the one that exiled him to begin with, Regina. I can tell you without hesitation that Hades doesn't give a damn what his brother thinks."

Regina shrugs and offers Robin an impatient smile. "Maybe not. But, he seems to think the world of you. I'm quite certain your opinion matters. I know you like having him above ground. And, don't even try pretend you don't take a monumental amount of pride in the fact that you're married to a living breathing god."

Zelena shows off a satisfied smile that is fit for a toothpaste commercial.

"Uh huh. I thought so." Regina nods. "So, Hades lives. No more underworld?"

"Cora's going to oversee the underworld."

"That's too bad."

Zelena scowls.

Regina senses and stalls her sister's thought process quickly. "I only mean that I was hoping she would let go and move on."

"Oh, really?"

"Zelena, I've spent most of my life being mad at her. Except for those very limited occasions when that fact actually did seem to faze her, the only person it hurt was me."

"This is you telling me that you think I should just let go; forgive and forget?"

"You do whatever you want with the information." Regina shrugs as she changes the subject. "Gold was here briefly. He looked terrified but other than the fact that his limp was a bit more pronounced than usual, he appeared relatively unscathed."

Zelena laughs maniacally. "Mr. Gold is fine. The Dark One, however; no longer reinforces his weak spine."

Zelena watches her sister's eyes widen in obvious alarm. "You separated Gold and the Dark One?"

The wicked witch smiles triumphantly. "The Dark One is now imprisoned in his own dagger."

"And where is the dagger now?"

"Somewhere on Mount Olympus - under guard."

Regina presses two fingers to her right temple as if trying to massage away a headache. "If Gold doesn't attempt to steal the dagger back within the next few days, I predict that he may have to be put on suicide watch."

Zelena's blue eyes light up merrily. "Do you really think so?"

"Gold is an aging bully and a coward. He's been co-dependent on the Dark One for centuries. Without the Dark One to bolster him, he'll either crumble, or…"

"Or what?"

"Or he'll transform. It's possible you just breathed life into a whole new monster. We'll have to wait and see."

"Can't you stop worrying for just two minutes? Call me crazy, but I thought you might actually be happy about it." Zelena wrinkles her nose. "After all, the Dark One did plague your existence for more than half your life."

"Call me crazy, but if given the choice between dealing with the darkest of all magical practitioners, an evil entity who could at least be reasoned and bartered with; or dealing with a spineless weasel who would sell his own mother's soul to the highest bidder in the name of self-preservation, I'll take the Dark One. An enemy with even a shred of integrity is far less troublesome than one without."

Zelena nods thoughtfully. "I suppose that's true enough. Speaking of enemies - We tortured them briefly, but Zeus took Fiona and Bellatrix away."

"He took them away? Away, where?"

Zelena shrugs. "He didn't volunteer the information, and Hades didn't ask. That fact alone and leads me to believe Hades knows precisely where they are. Hades spoke with his brother again about half an hour ago. Zeus found the recipe for a resurrection serum on Bellatrix. According to what he found, they were after more than just the baby. In order to resurrect both of them, they would have needed not only him, but the final breaths of two tender-aged witches as well."

"Eliana and Norah." Regina verbally fills in the insidious void her sister left hanging midair as she shoots Robin a troubled look. "Was anyone else present to bear witness to this discovery?"

"No, just Zeus. Why?"

"This was just the first attempt. It won't be the last. Now that someone has attempted the initial power play for one of our children…"

Zelena easily picks up the thread of her sister's thoughts. "If that fact becomes publicly known, it will embolden others who would make similar attempts. It will become some sort of perverse challenge; one evil imbecile thinking he, or she, can do better than the last. We're going to have to be even more vigilant."

"Maybe not. Not if Zeus was alone with them when he made the discovery. He won't tell anybody." Regina tilts her head to one side thoughtfully. "I doubt either woman will ever be seen or heard from again. Zeus places too high premium on family to allow either of them to slip away unpunished. He welcomed both a wicked witch and an evil queen into the fold without so much as a second glance. He's not about to do or say anything that would jeopardize the welfare of children; especially not children he's related to… even if only by marriage."

"I hope he put them somewhere where they'll be tormented brutally for the rest of eternity."

"Not me. No matter how slim, with torment, there's always the chance for escape. I don't want them tortured. If you mess with one of my kids, if you even think about messing with one of my kids, I want you dead! Period, end of story."

Zelena laughs derisively. "Apparently not, sis. They already are dead. Remember?"

"Fine then. Past the point of return. Obliterated, wiped from existence. Whatever! I'm certain he can handle it."

"Fine then, you talk to him. He li…"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. He likes me." Regina rolls her eyes as she hisses venomously. "And this is one time I don't mind you thinking so. Right now, I have precisely zero problem using that fact to my full advantage."

Zelena giggles with malignant satisfaction. "Nice to know you haven't completely subjugated the queen."

"That wouldn't be wise." Regina declares as Robin silently but adamantly shakes his head in response. "Go celebrate with Hades, Sis."

The prospect of doing so brings another smile to Zelena's face. "Hmm… don't mind if I do."

When the redhead's image disappears from view and when the only thing visible in the mirror is the reflection of the room around her, Regina turns her full attention to her husband.

'So, the Prince of Darkness has been revived; restored to his former ill-fated splendor?"

Regina offers him a tentative nod as he crosses the room and steps around behind her desk to perch lightly against the edge. Turning toward him, she offers another warm, if slightly apprehensive, smile."

"is he going to be trouble for Storybrooke?"

She laughs dryly. "Oh, I'm sure. But I don't think we have to worry about that tonight. We may not have to worry about that for a few weeks. Lord Death and his wife are going to be too busy reveling in his return to power."

Robin wrinkles his nose. "I'd rather not think about that, love." He whispers, leaning forward to steal a kiss.

As usual, he finds her warm and receptive, but she still manages to catch him pleasantly by surprise when the light kiss breaks and she fists her fingers in the fabric of his shirt front and murmurs a single word against his mouth. "More."

Desire flares warmly in his blue eyes as he indulges the request. Starting out soft and slow they allow the glowing embers of passion to ignite and dance freely around them. Robin moves in tandem with her as she comes to her feet and steps into the space between his thighs. Leaning back slightly against the desk, his hands instinctively find the swell of her hips and pull her close. Mouths fused, they indulge in and delight one another until the kiss breaks long moments later and he groans softly in regret.

Regina chuckles softly and presses her fingertips to his lips in an intimate caress; letting them linger.

"Your sister's not the only one in the celebratory mood." He flashes his lazy grin.

"No, she isn't. I'm feeling a bizarre mix of both relief and dread."

"You said goodbye to your mother." He nods solemnly; his intuitive words indicating more than just a temporary farewell.

She nods in turn. "It's a strange sensation. I feel lighter; capable of bouncing."

Robin shrugs easily. "Sometimes we get so used carrying things around with us that we become unconscious to their effects on us. It isn't until we set them aside that we realize how much those things weighed."

Regina nods again.

"So…" He raises an inquiring eyebrow. "I'm a speedbump?"

She chuckles softly. "No, that's not what I said. Speedbumps have all the warmth and romantic appeal of sandpaper. You are not a speedbump. But, sometimes your opinion of me is one; and that is a very good thing. As is any opinion that gives me the moment's pause that keeps me from making a mad dash in the wrong direction."

"And the dread?"

"Rumple is going to be a problem as well. Without the Dark One to bolster his ego, he's likely going to overcompensate; become petty and mean in an attempt to prove he's still strong. He owns quite a number of properties in town. His tenants will likely become easy targets for his wrath."

"You think he'll try to reclaim the dagger?"

"I'm certain of it. But, Zeus can handle that."

"Do you think Belle can keep him out of trouble at least for the night?"

Regina's quiet laughter is heavy with scorn. "She's never had any control over him at all. Not even when he wanted her to believe otherwise. But, I doubt he'll cause any major problems tonight. Physically, I imagine he's been through quite the ordeal."

Robin runs his fingers through her hair.

"We still have a few things we need to take care of before we can call it a night. Do you think we can politely encourage our guests to depart and then sweet talk the kids into going to bed early?"

Robin raises a thoughtful eyebrow. "The first one shouldn't be too hard to accomplish. They've had a good meal. So, their stomachs are full. The adrenaline is starting to wear off. Pretty soon they're going to be feeling the effects of battle fatigue and the thought of home, with all its comforts, will become prevalent in their minds. And, it's not all that early, mi'lady. Still, getting the little ones down won't be easy tonight. I do believe they are a bit over-stimulated by all the excitement."

Regina nods as she purses her lips thoughtfully. "Go downstairs and see if you can herd them in the right direction. Give me ten minutes alone to talk with Zeus and then bring Potter and Weasley up."

Nodding, Robin steals one last kiss before leaving his wife to commune with the sovereign head of Olympus. Ten minutes later, he knocks quietly before escorting their guests into the room.

Both Harry and Ron wear puzzled but curious expressions as Regina smiles and gestures toward reflections of those who are present on the other side of the looking glass.

Harry smiles as Lilly Potter takes his father's hand in hers and says softly in greeting, "Hello sweetheart."

He greets them all with enthusiasm. "Mom, Dad, Sirius… Hello Lupin; Tonks." While Ron manages to grin ear to ear and somehow look disconcerted at the same time. He reaches out tentatively, he touches the mirror, afraid his eyes are deceiving him. "Fred? Blimey; bloody good to see you, brother!"

As Regina passes by, stepping toward her office door, Harry catches her eye. A breath away from whispering that he doesn't fully understand what's happening, he raises an eyebrow.

"Consider it a thank-you." She whispers before stepping over the threshold and closing the door behind herself. "It's one of the perks of having a god for a brother-in-law. Take your time."

* * *

An hour later, after escorting Harry and Ron safely through the mirror and back to their own realm, Regina and Robin share a smile as they pass each other in the second-floor hallway. She's not surprised when she looks back over her shoulder to find him standing in the doorway of their daughter's empty bedroom and clearing his throat in confusion. Still smiling, she silently points him to the room on the other side of the hallway and presses a finger to her lips indicating to him that their two youngest are up to something and he shouldn't disturb them too suddenly.

As she knocks quietly and waits for an invitation before stepping into Henry's room, Robin crosses the hall to find the younger children clad in pajamas sitting Indian-style on Roland's bedroom floor and retrieving hidden candy stashes from under his bed.

For a moment, Robin stands quietly watching as they spread various sweets and magical novelties out on the floor around them.

Norah smiles hopefully at Roland before wrinkling her nose in disgust. "You can have all my licorice whips. I don't want them. They're yucky. They're not the right kind."

Roland squints as he pops what appears to be a piece of hard candy into his mouth and an instant later, when the sound of a hyper chimpanzee escapes him, Norah giggles with childhood glee.

"What do you mean, they're not the right kind?"

Norah shrugs, "Some licorice is good. Some is gross. I like black jelly bellies. But these whips are double ye-uck!" She pushes two packages across the floor. One is an unopened package with ten candies in it, and identical to the package that is opened save one whip missing. "I tried that one. It was gross. So, I tried to give it to Big John. He eats almost everything, but he wouldn't eat the licorice. So, Mama threw that piece in the trash."

"You wanna trade frogs or beans."

"Can I have a little bit of both… or maybe some bubble gum."

Roland eyes the licorice packets on the floor between them and carefully selects a single chocolate frog, a carton of Bertie Bott's every flavor beans that is 2/3 empty and a handful of bubble gum from his own collection. "If you get gum in your hair, you didn't get it from me… And don't chew more than one piece at a time!"

Norah happily dumps the lot of it into the plastic purple basket that holds her stash before she glances up and catches sight of Robin in the doorway. Hoping he won't put a stop to their bartering, she smiles brightly, "Hi Daddy!" She whispers eagerly as she holds up her basket. "You want some candy?"

Chuckling at the obvious ploy, Robin steps into the room and joins them on the floor, scooping her up into his lap. "You can keep your candy." He whispers conspiratorially. I won't rat you out. Just don't eat it all at once and give yourself a tummy ache."

Roland sorts through his own collection momentarily before he pulls out a handful of rectangular red candies that are individually wrapped. He divides them equally and puts half in his sister's basket. "Don't eat those Norah. Save them. If Regina finds your candy, just give her a few of those and she will let you keep some and of it. She loves those cinnamon flavored ones."

Laughing, Robin reaches out and musses his son's hair. "You little sneak! Where did you learn the fine art of bribery?"

Roland shoots his father a deadpan look; his words dripping with sarcasm. "Gee, I don't know, Dad. Somebody must've taught me."

Robin drops his voice to a nearly inaudible level. "Just don't ever let her know you're honing your craft on her. If you do that, the lot of us will be in serious trouble, mi'boy."

Roland nods vigorously. "Right then."

Robin gently pokes his daughter in the ribs. "Give your brother something else to make it a fair trade. Right now, I think you're definitely the one coming out ahead on this deal."

Searching through her purple basket, deciding what she's willing to part with, Norah selects a small handful of peanut butter bark candies and a packet of Pop Rocks. "Mr. Ron liked my fizzy rocks. He says they don't have those in his realm." She passes the collection to Roland.

He stares with mild confusion. "You sure? You love this peanut butter bark."

Norah shrugs. "It's a good trade. You gave me magic jelly beans and another chocolate frog. I ate the one Mr. Harry gave me already."

"Did you save the card inside?"

"Yep, course I did. Mr. Ron said I had to. I got Her-my-oh-knee's. He said hers is the best card ever!"

Roland laughs. "I think you mean, Hermione."

Norah squints comically. "That's what I said. It's a hard name to say."

While Roland shrugs, Robin pilfers an individually wrapped lemon drop from his daughter's basket and pops it into his mouth.

For a moment, he has her undivided attention and then, she smiles and shrugs. "Have another one if you want to, Daddy."

"No, thank you. One is enough. Now, you two put these baskets away. No more candy tonight. It's time to go to sleep." Coming to his feet, he holds his daughter captive with an arm tucked securely around her belly and quickly retrieves the basket of candy she's enthusiastically reaching for with his free hand. He waits for his son to return his personal stash of sweets to its hidey-hole beneath the bed. When Roland climbs into bed, Robin drapes only the thin top sheet over him.

"Good night, son."

The curly haired boy smiles up at him before turning his gaze to the small framed picture of his mother on his bedside table. "Night Dad… Night Mama."

As Robin flicks out light and totes Norah out the door, carrying her like a sack of potatoes, she calls out to her brother giggling. "The bed bugs are gonna eat you up."

"Na uh!" Roland teases. "I left them all in your room."

"Did not!"

"Did too."

Stepping from one room and into the other with long easy strides, Robin carefully weaves his way through the minefield of toys that need to be put away and gently tosses his giggling child onto her bed and sets the basket of goodies on a shelf too high for her to reach. When she frowns, he smiles. "I'll give it back tomorrow. No more candy tonight. You're sweet enough already - and tomorrow…" He gestures toward the disheveled room around them. "You're going to clean up this mess… before you're allowed to go outside."

"Aww Daddy!"

"Seriously Kiddo. Some of the merry men keep their tents cleaner than this. Roland could leave a lot worse than bed bugs in here and, with all this mess, you wouldn't even know it."

"Okay. If I clean tomorrow can I have waffles for breakfast?"

Robin laughs. "I'll consider it if you do a good job cleaning. Now lay down, under the covers, put your head down on the pillow, close your eyes and keep them closed until the sun comes up." Tucking not only the top sheet around her but also the heavy down comforter to be certain that her small body stays warm in the night because she gets cold more easily than either of her brothers does, Robin kisses her forehead and tucks a raggedy looking stuffed turtle under the blankets beside her and she instantly wraps the toy in a hug.

"Daddy, I wanna go to the train station."

"What train station?"

"King's Cross where the Hogwarts train is."

"We'll talk about it after you grow some. For now, you're off to dreamland."

"Okay but I'm gonna dream about the train."

"That's good. Now, go to sleep my little firefly."

He waits for her to snuggle in, yawn, and close her eyes for a good 60 seconds before daring to leave her side. Making his way back to the door, careful not to step on any of her toys, he turns out the light and leaves the door ajar. He's halfway to Henry's bedroom door when his little girl shouts, "Love you!"

"I love you more. Go to sleep!"

He taps lightly against the frame of Henry's open bedroom door and finds the high school senior stretched out on his bed, above the blankets, and writing the day's events down on a blank sheet of paper. Without even looking up Henry automatically replies, "Night Robin."

Gesturing her way, Robin inquires, "Mind if I steal your mom away?

Wrinkling his nose in jest, Henry teases, "Naa, you can have her! I'm done with her for the day."

Swatting at him in protest even as she kisses the top of his head, Regina growls in mock frustration. "You should be nicer to your mother. You're going to want money for this weekend."

Suddenly feigning contrition, Henry smiles brightly, "Good night, Mom. I love you."

"Yeah, yeah! What time do you and Hook set sail tomorrow?"

"Early. We're leaving at 5:30 AM."

"In that case, lights out soon. Don't stay up too late and try not to wake your sister when you leave tomorrow morning. Have a good time. Will I see you Sunday night?

Henry shakes his head. "Maybe Monday or Tuesday. After we get back, I wanna spend a few days with Mom."

"You guys be safe out there on the water and call if you need anything." Regina steps through the door placing her hand in Robin's as her son calls out sincerely, "Goodnight Mom. See you next week."

As they near the master suite, Regina steps around Robin momentarily and peers over the second floor banister down into the great room below and calls out softly. "Goodnight, Daddy."

From one of his favorite chairs, her father pauses in his reading to smile up at her. "Goodnight dear. Sweet dreams."

When Robin embraces her from behind, she turns in his arms and crosses the threshold to their bedroom walking backward; trusting in him to guide her steps.

He makes sure the door is closed securely behind himself before threading his fingers through her hair and gently lifting her mouth to his.

They kiss languidly until a thought occurs to him and he gently forces himself to stop. "You sure you wouldn't rather just crash? You've had a full day."

She laughs quietly, her lips against his, teasing, trying to ignite another more passionate round of kisses. "And then some. I'm exhausted. But, I've got 30 minutes set aside just for you if you want it."

He shoots her a curious look. "Either carrying a demigod is not as hard as your sister makes it out to be, or you're just utterly relieved to have him back home with his mother where he belongs."

"She's not exaggerating. That's not an experience I want to relive; not even remotely. Still, as miserable as he made me, I almost miss a little guy."

Robin takes ½ step back away from his wife and studies her face seriously for a long moment.

"What? What's the matter? You look… confused."

"You want another one?"

"What? Another baby? God No! Not at my age! It'll be at least 15 years before Norah is ready to leave home. If we have another one now, it'll be even longer before we have time all to ourselves. Robin, what on earth possessed you to ask me such a question?"

He flashes his grin and shrugs. "Being pregnant with a demigod is not an experience you want to relive, but you miss the little guy anyway?" He raises an eyebrow.

"You have no understanding of what it's like to feel a life growing inside you. It's something I'm extremely lucky I got to do once. It's worth every ounce of the misery and then some. The problem is that eventually, the pregnancy does end and then it's 18 months of breastfeeding, diapers, and sleepless nights followed by 18 more years of delightful insanity."

"And that feels like a long time to you?"

"Depends on which direction I'm looking. If I look back to the day I brought Henry home, it feels like yesterday. But trying to look forward to Norah being his age… It's a lifetime. Or at least a very significant portion of one. I take it, it doesn't seem that long to you?"

Robin shrugs. "I guess the days go slow but the years go fast. Norah is growing up entirely too quickly."

"Oh, I see." She chuckles softly. "Robin that's not my biological clock you hear ticking. It's your own."

He laughs and shrugs, trying a little too hard to keep the conversation light, thus leading her to stop poking fun and study him seriously.

"How much of this is just because you saw me ripe with my sister's child and how much of it is genuine? Was it just fun, or do you truly want another baby?"

"There was nothing even remotely fun about mood swings of godlike proportion, or watching my nauseous wife fluctuate wildly between volcanic and sub-arctic body temperatures… And, I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. But it would be nice to know you haven't completely ruled out the possibility."

Regina wobbles her head side to side in an indecisive fashion. "Okay, so think about it. Think about all of it. Make a rational decision one way or the other. Yes or no. If you decide that this is more than just a warm fuzzy impulse, I'll go to the doctor and at least find out if it's still possible."

"You will?"

"Sure, if that's what you really want. I'm not about to stand by and let you go off and have a baby with someone else."

"Aww, why not?" He teases.

Regina gives him a sour look. "Nope! That's against the rules; big time. That will get you in serious hot water, mister. But, just because we're not going to mix one up tonight, doesn't mean you can't… practice."

"Come here!" He orders softly despite the fact that she's already in his arms. Lifting her feet off the floor, he hauls her forward, across the room, until they topple onto the bed; their bodies colliding in all the right places.


	24. Chapter 24

Epilogue

Leaving the hospital, Snow backtracks and takes the long way out through the arboretum to be certain that no patient enjoying the autumn sunlight on this unseasonably warm afternoon needs a hand returning to their room before she heads for home.

She speaks to two patients, both of them pushing IV poles as they make the lap around the small garden. Satisfied that both are well enough to be left to their own supervision, she turns to leave once more, and breezes right passed a familiar face. Stopping belatedly when recognition sets in, she turns on her heel and approaches the bright blue metallic bench and the woman seated there; who is clearly lost in thought.

"Regina?" She inquires quietly and receives no response until she reaches out and gently touches her on the shoulder; unintentionally jolting her out of her own private reverie and causing her to slosh tiny rivlets of hot coffee out and down the back of her hand courtesy of the drinking spout in the plastic lid that covers her cardboard cup.

Silently opening her mouth in response to the heated liquid, Regina grimaces and quickly tosses the offensive cup into a nearby trash receptacle as Snow snags a clean tissue from the pocket of her jacket and apologetically blots steaming moisture from the back of her hand.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I don't know where you were just now, but it must be someplace far and away. You didn't even hear me speak."

"Sorry, what do you say?"

"I was just trying to get your attention. Are you out here waiting for your sister? I saw you here last week too. She must be getting close."

Soft, wry laughter quietly escapes Regina as she shakes her head. "Not today. I was here yesterday with Zelena. She's almost two weeks past her due date and trying everything she can possibly think of to induce labor. She's sick and tired of being pregnant; she's too big to drive herself and her magic's out of order."

Snow nods with obvious concern. "She's lost her magic?"

"No, not lost, but it's not uncommon to have issues with it; especially in the last trimester. Mine went more than a little bit sideways during my last six weeks of pregnancy. I unintentionally blew up the coffee pot one morning. Our powers are tightly linked to our emotions."

Snow nods again, familiar with motherhood. "And emotions tend to be a bit erratic when the simple act of taking a deep breath makes you uncomfortable." Homing in on a missing tidbit of information, she asks, "Zelena's not here today?"

Regina shakes her head again.

"Well then, what brings you here? Are you feeling alright?"

"Came in last week for some tests. I came back today for the results. I'm perfectly healthy." She announces dryly.

Snow squints in response to the stale, arrested demeanor of her onetime nemesis turned friend. "Well, you don't have to turn cartwheels, but given that fact, I would think that a small smile might be in order. We had lunch together on Tuesday. Why didn't you tell me you were having tests of some sort?"

"No need to say anything. Not until I make up my mind."

Snow continues to squint. "Make up your mind about what?"

Regina sighs. "Never mind. You can relax. It's nothing for you to worry about."

"Uh-uh, I don't buy it." She quick-steps to the other side of the bench and helps herself to a seat eyeing Regina with determination; silently making it perfectly clear that she's not going anywhere. "You're sitting out here on a public bench in the hospital garden half a step away from catatonic. What's up? Spill!"

Regina rolls her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic. I'm not anywhere near catatonic. I'm just… preoccupied."

"Yeah, uh huh, that much I know. Tell me why?"

Regina sighs in moderate exasperation. "I don't suppose it would do any good to tell you that it's none of your business?"

Snow offers her a plucky smile. "Nope, not a bit!" She rolls her wrist in the air invitingly, a dramatic flourish that silently tells Regina to get on with it.

Regina groans. "God, you are annoying!"

Unbothered, Snow chuckles softly and whispers loudly. "Not the first time you've told me that. Those words lost their shock value a long time ago."

Regina glowers. "You're like the stray puppy who's been fed one too many times and you just won't leave!"

Snow nods. "So, if you know that, why don't you just tell me and get it over with."

"Ugh, fine! But I don't want the whole town talking about this before I decide what to do. You cannot tell anyone!

"I won't tell a soul."

Regina stares at her hard and bites back the dark retort on the tip of her tongue. "You remember a few months ago when Eliana tried to get rid of her baby brother?"

"God, how could I forget?"

"Well, he was with me long enough for Robin to come down with a serious case of baby fever."

In rapid-fire succession, Snow squints, shrugs, and then smiles brilliantly. Practically squeaking with the effort to remain quiet, she queries, "You're pregnant?"

"No!" Regina hisses.

"Oh well, don't get discouraged. Especially not if the doctor says you're healthy. It's only been a few months."

"Will you please calm down! We aren't trying - yet. I made Robin promise me he would take the time to seriously think it through. I wanted to make sure it wasn't just a fleeting impulse brought on by the whole belly swapping charade. At first, I thought that was precisely what it was, but it's been nearly three months. Zelena is overdue and it's still on his mind."

"Doesn't sound like a fleeting impulse to me. Sounds like he's pretty serious."

"So, I've noticed. I told him that if it didn't pass, I would at least go to the doctor and find out if it was even still a possibility. Weil says I'm fine but that if we're serious about having another, the time is now. At my age, the longer I wait, the greater the number of potential complications."

"Is that what you're worried about? Complications?"

"Not really, no."

Snow is silent as a stone for several long moments before she quietly asks, "Do you want another baby?"

"Not really, no. But Robin does, and he's such a good dad."

Snow nods understandingly. "Yes, he is, but having a baby is hard enough even when you want one with all your heart."

Regina nods. "I know I'll fall head over heels in love with any child we have. It's not that. It's just, I'm so busy. I'm tired. And I think I have finally gotten Norah to the point where she can almost be trusted to dress herself - with the exception of her socks. And he wants to start all over again at square one – diapers, bottles, teething and midnight runs to the drugstore for baby aspirin."

Snow chuckles as she squints. "What's wrong with Norah's socks?"

"If left to put socks on her own feet, the girl insists on wearing mismatched socks."

Snow laughs. "I'm pretty sure all three-year-olds do that- especially little girls It's socially acceptable, in fact, stores even sell deliberately mismatched socks now, Regina."

Regina squints. "I never did that."

Snow squeezes her hand affectionately. "You probably wanted to, but Cora wouldn't have let you. She was a social-climbing royal harpy with a stick permanently inserted in her uptight derriere."

Regina bites her lower lip and covers her mouth to keep from laughing and when she can't quite manage it, she smacks Snow hard on the shoulder and glares at her ominously.

Snow shrugs. "Did I lie?"

When Regina's quiet laughter finally dries up, she admits, "I'm afraid not."

"Okay, so what's the big deal? You don't dress her like some sort of antique porcelain doll - the way Cora dressed you when you were her age."

"Hey, you dressed that way too!"

"Yes, but the difference is, I wanted to. Nobody forced me. Simplify your life. Let the girl wear mismatched socks. The world won't come to an end. I promise."

Regina raises an eyebrow. "And, if Cora decides to haunt me?"

"Then we'll find a way to banish her narrow transparent ass!"

"You're feeling saucy today, aren't you?"

"You just now noticing? What are you going to do about Robin?"

Regina shrugs even as her eyes widen in response to the question. First, I need to go home and talk to him about it, let him know what the doctor said. Then, unless he's changed his mind… I guess maybe it's time to consider repainting the nursery."

"Really?" Snow stares incredulously.

"What? I'm not overjoyed about it, but it feels right. It's not like Robin is an emotionally detached, uninvolved, workaholic dad who never has time for his children. He's very hands-on with the kids, and it's not like he can do it by himself. This is one thing he literally needs me to do for him. And, he never turns away when I'm in need. If he knows I want something, anything, it doesn't matter what it is, he finds a way to get it for me. It's wrong of me not to even consider it."

"Sometimes, Regina, I forget just how far you've come. There was a time… the woman you used to be would not have done anything she did not expressly want to do; especially not something as major as having a child. You wouldn't have even considered it. Not for anyone."

Regina shrugs. "Robin is not just anyone. My life was easier back then. This is harder, frequently more painful, and sometimes it's downright maddening, but this life is a life worth having. And, he's at least partially responsible for the difference."

"Well, I'm on board no matter what you decide. Do it. Don't do it. Either way, need somebody to talk to, need somebody to listen, you know where to find me."

Nodding, Regina takes a deep breath and squeezes Snow's hand before rising to her feet. "Come on. Walk me to my car."

* * *

Struggling to get up, Zelena wallows in place for a moment on the edge of the sofa trying to find just the right momentum to get herself to her feet despite her heavily overdue belly.

She makes it to her feet just as her husband enters the grand parlor, and he laughs, mesmerized by her despite her own insistence that she's not fit to look at these days when she places both hands against her severely swollen abdomen and growls in frustration. "Will you please come out! I don't know what you want from me. I've tried hot sauce, I've tried sex, I've tried exercise, yoga, uterine massage, aromatherapy, cold showers, warm baths, acupressure, and even Mozart. Nothing works! And you cannot live in there forever because I can't see my feet anymore. Mummy misses her pretty shoes, and I'm tired of feeling like a big fat slug. So just come out… Please!"

"Darling. Just be patient with him, he'll come when he's ready."

In response to his overly patient tone of voice, his wife throws the book she was reading at his head and only narrowly misses.

Holding his hands up, palms out, Hades approaches cautiously and rubs his wife's belly with affection. I understand you're happy where you are. I don't blame you, dear boy, but you need to come out of there before Mummy's aim gets any better. Too much more practice and I'm going to be black and blue before you get here."

She glares in hostility at the deity she married and stomps from the room.

* * *

Two days later, she magically pops over to Granny's for a bowl of pea salad and a roast beef sandwich with horseradish sauce. Stepping out of the diner with her carry-out bag, she spots her sister seated at a patio table alongside Snow and Emma. She shuffles over as Regina glances her way.

"Still waiting, I see."

"I do not want to talk about it! I seriously think this kid is protesting his own birth!" He's staging some sort of bizarre prenatal sit-in!"

Emma squints. "His sister did move him around an awful lot. Maybe he's just happy to be back with you; doesn't want to leave."

"At this point, I'm almost ready to move him around myself."

The conversation pauses as Granny steps out the door to deliver Snow's lunch order. Picking up on the topic, the geriatric wolf in human form offers age-old wisdom. "A watched pot never boils. Stop waiting for him and he will make his grand debut just to get your attention. If that doesn't work, try some adventurous sex."

"Been there, done that, no fireworks."

"Well, there's your problem, wicked one! It's not just the sex, it's the orgasm. Tell Dad he's doing it wrong. Some men need a little coaching."

More in response to Zelena's horrified look than in response to the old woman's candid advice, Snow clears her throat to avoid choking on a swallow of herbal tea and presses a napkin to her mouth as her face goes slightly pink.

Zelena holds her hands out to stop anymore unwanted colorful advice coming her way. "Mea culpa! Poor choice of words. When I said, no fireworks, what I meant was, no baby. Trust me, my husband doesn't need coaching." She turns to her sister. "Wasn't Norah a few days past her due date?"

Regina puts down her soup spoon and shakes her head. "Two days early. Try skinny dipping."

Snow and Emma both turn their eyes to Regina and then, in turn, they stare at each other silently wondering if they heard correctly while Zelena stammers, "I, I beg your pardon! I look like a beached whale! You're suggesting that I go outdoors, in full view of the rest of the world, take off all my clothes and go swimming in the buff?"

Regina squints, at a loss for understanding. "Zelena, it's not as if you got fat from sitting in front of the TV eating a ½ gallon tub of Haagen Dawes every day. You're pregnant, you have nothing to be ashamed of. And it doesn't have to be in full view of the rest of the world. Pick some secluded place where you'll be comfortable, where you'll have some privacy. Swimming provides low-impact exercise." She offers her sister a malevolent smile. "Take Hades with you."

Zelena shakes her head as Emma and Snow continued to stare at her sister. "Why is everybody suddenly so concerned about my sex life. You do understand, that's how I got this way!"

Regina rolls her eyes. "Fine, don't go skinny dipping. Don't you have a huge Jacuzzi tub in that new house of yours? Use it! Turn the jets on and select the strongest water pressure you can comfortably withstand… What?" She sets down her water glass with the demonstrative thunk. "Why are the two of you staring at me?"

Emma smiles and wags a finger in Regina's general direction. "We're just a little confused. That's all. I don't think I ever expected to hear you, Regina, Queen of the Enchanted Forest, with all your tailored conservative pantsuits, advocate for something as free-spirited and uninhibited as skinny dipping."

Regina shrugs, and calmly returns her attention to her lunch as the diner's owner speaks up once more.

"Just because a woman is dignified and ladylike does not automatically mean she's a prude."

Emma shakes her head. "Oh, I didn't say that. That's not what I meant at all, but I guarantee you, if any one of the townspeople finds our mayor skinny dipping late one night by the light of a full moon… they will swallow their own teeth!"

Bev shakes her head and tosses the dish towel in her hand over her shoulder as she returns to the front door of the diner, calling back over her shoulder. "That's the trouble with you young pups, blondie. You have no imagination. You think everything that might require a smidgen of privacy occurs under cover of darkness and is reserved for the young and beautiful. You never stop to think; sometimes carnal things happen between the more heavily seasoned; between the wise and venerable… and sometimes they even happen in broad daylight. Isn't that right, Madame Mayor."

Regina chuckles softly. I'm not sure you can legitimately get away with calling me venerable, or even wise, for that matter; but some of the best carnal encounters I've ever had have happened in broad daylight." She turns to her sister. "Do you want to sit down?"

"No, I'm going to go home before my sandwich gets cold." She tries to magically transport herself back to the villa, and instead, she flickers in an out of sight like a grainy picture on the static-filled screen of an old black and white TV.

"Would you like me to take you home?"

Zelena's only reply is to growl in frustration, lift her face to the sky and bellow loudly, "Hades!"

Within seconds, he shimmers into view; casually walking their way. "Yes, my queen?"

She slaps her hand into his, grumbles, "Home!" and as the two of them disappear from sight, Snow comments quietly, "Now, that is one hen-pecked god."

Emma glances around the table incredulously before speaking, "Wait! All she has to do is wail like a disgruntled harpy and he hears her from… how many miles away? Shows up within seconds, and provides her with divine taxi service? Where do I sign up?"

Regina wipes her mouth with a paper napkin. "Emma, I think the price of admission into that particular club involves the incubation and nurturing of divine children."

"On second thought…"

Snow turns her attention to Regina once more. "Speaking of children, are you going to bring Norah and Roland to the school tomorrow night, or are you going door to door this year?"

"Norah did attend the festivities at the school last year, but she was really still too young to understand. This year, that's not the case, and Roland is determined to take her out trick-or-treating. Robin is busy right now turning the old carriage house on our property into a haunted shack. Henry is helping him, and I'm concerned that they may be going a little overboard. I'm afraid they're going to make it a bit too scary for the little ones."

Snow's eyes light up. "He's doing the whole haunted house thing? And you're okay with that, given the modern-day perversion of All Hallows Eve?"

Regina shrugs. "Sure, they're having a blast setting it all up, but, I did tell Robin that if I saw even one representation of a hideous hook-nosed old crone with a pointed chin or whiskery warts, I would file for divorce. Zelena is very much in favor of conical hats and broomsticks. Which is fine, both items have their place in magical history."

Snow chuckles. "But you boycott wizened old crones?"

"That's one of those modern-day perversions you mentioned. When was the last time you actually saw a female witch who would allow herself to look like that? I mean, if magic doesn't work for you, there's always Clinique's Anti-aging serum; this world's version of magic in a jar."

"I hate to break it to you, but the last time I saw a decent example of that cliché, I am pretty sure I was looking at you in disguise - never mind how many years ago."

"Umm-hmm. That was Rumpelstiltskin's doing."

"Why am I not surprised."

"Well, I've got to run. I've got a few quick errands to take care of before going back to the office."

Waving goodbye, she leaves them and rushes through errands she doesn't really have time for on her way back to the office. Once there, she quickly hangs a garment bag on the coat rack on her way to retrieve the transmission rolling out of her fax machine. Realizing it's nothing that requires her immediate attention, Regina places the pages in her inbox and steps back to the coat rack to remove the three costumes nestled carefully inside the reusable garment bag.

Princess Tiana's mother, Eudora, is an accomplished seamstress and her work brings a smile to the mayor's face. Regina holds up the two costumes meant for her children and quickly declares them more than satisfactory for the price paid. Eliana's costume is done with no more care or skill than the others, but it came at an unmistakably greater cost. Eyeing the ensemble with wonder, Regina sighs heavily in disapproval.

Italian silk for a costume that a four-year-old is going to wear for maybe three hours and, chances are, it won't fit her this time next year. She'll never wear it again after tomorrow night; except maybe to play dress-up. Hopefully, she can at least get some repeated use out of the extravagant hair accessory that complements the ensemble; the one that was shipped all away from a jeweler in Boston and overnighted to the post office here in Storybrooke. Regina would find it entirely appropriate if it were Eliana's first formal appearance at a ball or cotillion, but she is not being presented to society in the hopes of one day securing an advantageous marriage for the good of a kingdom. it's a Halloween costume for a preschooler! Shaking her head, Regina sighs again, returns the garments to the bag, and returns to her desk and the next thing waiting for her on her to-do list.

* * *

The next evening her father is seated at the kitchen table perusing the newspaper as she uses metal tongs to remove fragrant golden-brown treats from an electric kitchen kettle that contains bubbling hot organic olive oil. She glances up when the back door opens, and her sister crosses the threshold followed by her husband and in the process of reprimanding her redheaded child, who is clad in an ornate empire-style floor length Grecian tunic made of Italian silk and complimented by leather sandals.

"Elia, honey, that is enough! I am tired; my back hurts. Adjust your behavior or, I promise you, we will turn around and go home this very minute!"

The child growls at her mother as she stomps toward the kitchen archway. "Then you go home! I'm going upstairs. I'm going to play with Norah until we leave!"

Dropping the sizzling spring rolls onto a ceramic platter covered in paper towel to absorb the excess oil, Regina forces a smile onto her face and patience she doesn't feel into her voice, as she calls over her shoulder. "Hello, Eliana, nice to see you. Norah is in her room. Please check your attitude at the door before you infect her."

Already halfway to the spiral staircase in the great room, Eliana growls again.

Regina laughs quietly and shakes her head. "How does a body that small contain that much venom."

"Runs in the family." is her father's mumbled and nearly inaudible reply.

"Did you say something, Daddy?"

The elderly king nods cordially in greeting to their visitors as he lowers his newspaper. Speaking more clearly, he announces, "I said, the quick tempers run in the family. So do the pleasing figures, the awe-inspiring magical abilities, the devious minds, the penchants for style and elegance, and the great cheekbones. Every single one of the Mills women is breathtaking to look at and in possession of a temper more volatile than a heat-seeking missile. The girl can't help it; it's in her blood."

Caught between equal parts flattery and truth, Zelena grimaces and Regina smirks while Hades chuckles softly and sets his daughter's small overnight bag down on the end of the bar before he squeezes his wife's shoulders with affection and helps guide her to the comfort of a kitchen barstool.

Tempted by the heated aroma in the air, Zelena immediately chooses to help herself to a still-steaming, crispy indulgence from the platter. When she bites into it and instantly drops the uneaten portion back onto the platter to avoid burning her fingers as she inhales deeply around the bite of hot food, trying desperately not only to cool the food but also to avoid the humiliation of spitting it out, Regina snags a small section of paper towel from a nearby roll with the quick flick of her wrist, holds it in front of her sister's mouth and whacks her soundly on the back between her shoulder blades; causing her to cough up the morsel of searing hot food before it can do any further damage to the inside of her mouth than it already has.

"Ohh, hot, hot, hot!" Zelena covers her mouth and moans in chagrin as Regina quickly retrieves a glass from a cabinet and pours her a serving of cold milk.

Handing it over before she even bothers to put the gallon jug back into the refrigerator, Regina lectures, "Did you see me using tongs to take them out of a vat of sizzling hot oil thirty seconds ago when you walked through the door?"

Zelena nods behind her upturned glass of milk and drains dry it before speaking. "I wasn't thinking about it. They smell so good. The baby wanted one. What are those?"

Regina squints. "You've never seen spring rolls before?"

"Not any that didn't come from a deli package already fried and in need of a quick reheat. What's in them?"

"Lean pork, shrimp, organic shredded cabbage and carrots with a pinch of turmeric and curry."

"They're scrumptious. Where did you buy them?"

"I rolled them myself. Robin likes them."

"How domestic," Zelena says drolly. "I didn't think you cooked that much."

"I don't. He does most of the cooking, but I'm looking for some new recipes; trying to find substitutes for some of the red meat in his diet."

As Regina drops two of the delicacies onto a dessert plate and sets them on the table in front of her father, Hades squints in confusion. "Why does he need to eat less red meat?"

Zelena rolls her eyes in response to her husband's uninformed question. "Because honey; he's mortal."

Hades tips his head to one side. "That's too bad. Guess you'll be outliving him, Regina."

Annoyed almost as much by the prospect, as by his crass willingness to point it out, Regina carefully uses her fingertips to snag another steaming spring roll from the platter and shove one end of it into her brother-in-law's smug mouth before he has time to step away.

"Ow!" He protests loudly in response to the unexpected assault. Glowering in same the instant that the minor injury self-heals, he fumbles the hot food, repeatedly tossing it from one palm to the other as Regina offers him a self-satisfied smile. "Trick or treat!" She sings in dark victory as her husband steps into the room chuckling softly in response to the scene he's just witnessed from the kitchen archway.

"You don't really need me to remind you that she's evil; do you Hades?"

"That won't be necessary."

Robin shakes his head in amusement as he approaches and drops a light kiss on Regina's lips while he reaches into the cabinet over her head and extracts a plate for himself. With his back to them, Hades and Zelena don't catch the disapproving look Robin quietly shares with his wife when he says "I hope it's okay with the two of you. The girls are upstairs swapping hair accessories. Eliana decided she likes Norah's flowers better than what she arrived wearing. They've solicited Henry's help in making the swap. We'll make sure you get hers back when we drop her at home tomorrow."

Zelena raises a curious eyebrow in surprise. "Henry helps Norah with her hair-styling needs?"

Regina chuckles. "Henry's a good big brother. He does pretty much whatever she needs him to do. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he's completely wrapped around her little finger. I swear, she's part con-artist. He knows it, and still, he caves every time she flashes her smile."

"And my little angel is still trying to find ways to give her younger brother away before he's even born!" Zelena grouses.

"That's at least partly because your two are so close in age. Henry's nearly fifteen years older than Norah. By the time she arrived, he was too mature to be threatened by the new baby in the house. She does squabble with Roland on occasion."

Zelena smirks. "Has he ever tried to put her up for adoption? Yesterday, the little goddess informed me, and not for the first time, that if we wait until after he's born and drop our son off at a fire station, nobody will get in trouble, and the nice firemen will find him a good family to live with!"

Regina laughs freely, "Oh man! Of all the things she could have inherited, she had to claim your sense of sibling rivalry! You better hope she doesn't attempt to put him in a basket bound for a faraway land. She's likely to send him to the other end of the rainbow to live with the leprechauns."

"Hey, that's not funny!"

Regina nods with self-certainty. "Yeah, it kinda is!"

Forcing a tight smile, Zelena leaves her barstool. "Okay fine, laugh at my expense. I don't have to stay here and take this. We have reservations at Breaker House tonight and Hades gave me a new shaved ice maker."

Regina squints. "A new one? Already?"

"Burned the motor up in the last one."

"Maybe you need an industrial strength one."

"Can't help it. It's like the baby woke a dormant volcano somewhere inside me. At least I'm not in the underworld anymore. Between the normal temperature down there and the baby, I was starting to feel delirious."

Stepping close, Regina places a gentle hand on her sister's belly. "Hey, Your Royal Eminence, you need to come out of there. Daddy might be, but Mummy is not naturally flame-retardant."

Zelena waits for a noticeable beat. When there is no response to her sister's words, she shrugs and sighs in defeat. "Apparently, he doesn't listen to you any more than he listens to me."

Regina walks them to the door. "He will be here soon enough. Then you'll be wishing he was back in there, so you can get a few hours' sleep."

Standing on the back porch, Zelena says over her shoulder, "Oh no I won't! I hardly sleep now. Hades gets to stay up with him the first week he's officially here. As soon as he's born, I'm going to sleep, and I just might stay asleep for the whole first week. If he's not born this weekend I'm going to let Dr. Weil induce Monday. He offered last week. I didn't want to, but I can't take another week of this."

Regina waves as the couple steps off the porch. "Try to relax and get some rest. You're going to need your strength."

When she steps back into the house and closes the door Robin asks, "She's going to let Weil do what… Induce?"

Regina nods and explains for his benefit as well as her father's. "He'll give her medication that will bring on labor."

"Can he do that?"

"Here in this world, yes."

"Safely? I mean, I don't know everything there is to know about this, but I'm not so sure it's a good idea to start messing with what is supposed to be a natural process. What if there's a reason he's not coming out? What if he's not ready yet?"

Regina nods. "There is usually some possibility of a miscalculated due date; human error being what it is. That's why I declined when Weil asked me about the possibility of induction a few years ago with Norah. She was a few days earlier than expected, but nowadays, they ask all the questions early and try to set a plan in place prior to the birth. But, as long as there's not a life-threatening problem with either the baby or the mother, I say leave the child in there and let nature take its own uninterrupted course. However, Zelena is already well past her anticipated due date and this is not a normal pregnancy. Her discomfort is not comparable to that of a normal pregnancy. She is beyond miserable. Furthermore, even if this were a typical pregnancy, with a normal mortal child, she's fast approaching the point where complications will arise. I hope that baby makes up his mind to show up sometime in the next day or two before they do induce her labor. I have no personal frame of reference, but according to what little I've read on the subject, medically inducing labor usually makes it harder on the mother than if it occurs naturally, and she's already got an atypical labor to look forward to. The last thing she needs is a medication that might make it more intense than its already going to be."

The conversation pauses when Henry trots into the kitchen and helps himself to a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Since he's present, Regina drops a few spring rolls onto a plate and hands it to him without comment.

"Thanks, Mom!"

Ready to leave the room as quickly as he arrived, Regina's oldest child stops short when a pint-sized goddess with a wreath of lavender and lilies atop her head, a charismatic archer, and a bright-eyed wood nymph with two diamond-studded 14-karat gold combs nestled securely in her dark curls suddenly appear in the archway, noisily wanting to know if it's time to go trick-or-treating yet.

Shaking his head, Henry announces, "Man, you guys really don't get the concept of Halloween. You're supposed to dress up as something scary, not fictionalized versions of yourselves."

Eliana rolls her eyes. "I don't wanna be scary. I wanna be pretty!"

Henry steps sideways, sliding past them in the doorway and announces drolly, "Mission accomplished."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

Regina smiles at her young niece. "He was telling you that you do look pretty."

Eliana smiles and twirls herself around happily. "Oh, okay."

"Come on troops, let's head out. Everybody got their treat pails?"

They each hold up a small metal pail that's been hand-painted to resemble either a jack-o-lantern, a black cat, or a ghost, but Norah complains. "We can't go yet. You need a costume, Mama."

"Oh no, I don't. If I follow your examples and go dressed as a fictionalized version of myself, as Henry so eloquently put it, the townspeople will run screaming into the Atlantic!"

Roland giggles. "Na uh, Regina"

With a trace of laughter in his voice, young Henry calls out from the next room. "Better let her go as she is, Ro. It'll take her an hour to get into one of those royal get-ups of hers. Besides, she's scary enough as the mayor."

"Young man, do you want me to lock you in a dungeon with no pizza and no PlayStation for a solid month!"

As if he's issuing a reminder, Regina's son returns fire. "You don't have a dungeon in this realm, Mom!"

"Would you like me to conjure one… Because, I assure you, I can!"

The trio of happy children giggles as Henry sidesteps the question. "Bye, Mom. Have fun with the munchkins."

Chuckling softly, Regina quickly kisses Robin goodbye. "We'll see you later at the carriage house. Don't scare the little ghouls and goblins too badly. And Daddy, when you run out of candy, turn off the porch lights."

On her way out the back door, she picks up the flashlight sitting at the ready on the end of the kitchen table and gently lectures. "You three stay together. Stay where I can see you. If you run off, if I have to search for any one of you, I will make the three of you hold hands for the rest of the night."

Regina's trio of treat seekers wrinkle their collective noses as if they'd been threatened with a fate worse than death and then march through the door single-file, within easy reach of each other, but being very careful not to touch.

* * *

Seated with her date at a cozy table for two adjacent to a magnificent glass wall that overlooks the peninsula on which Breaker House sits and the turbulent Atlantic below, Zelena peers out into the darkness watching the waves pound relentlessly against the seaside cliff courtesy of candlelight and sparkling cider. When she feels his gentle caress on the back of her hand, she realizes that she's momentarily checked out without meaning to.

Turning her gaze to meet his, she smiles.

"Hello, and welcome back." Her husband teases gently. "Where've you been, my love?"

Sorry, I guess I got pulled away ocean watching. It's mesmerizing."

His eyes sparkle in the glow of romantic lighting. "I'll bet in rough weather those mesmerizing waves touch these reinforced glass walls."

Zelena squints doubtfully. "You think?"

He nods with quiet certainty.

"Hades, this hotel is sitting on a cliff. We're 100 feet above sea level; at least.

He nods again. "Yes, and the floor of the observation deck of the adjoining lighthouse is another 100 feet up. My brothers start feeling temperamental and the storms blow in. Especially when Zeus and by Poseidon are on the outs with their ladies."

Her laughter is music to his ears, "Forget about meteorology reports, barometric pressure, and the moon's gravitational pull on the tides. You're telling me the reason hurricanes form and ravage everything in their paths is that the gods are sexually frustrated?"

Hades shrugs. "Everything you've seen. Everything you're personally capable of, and you doubt me? Woman, you wound me!"

"Aww." Zelena struggles to her feet, leans over the table trying not to overturn anything with her belly, and drops a light kiss on his lips. "There, is that better?"

"All's right with the world again."

She shakes her head. "You are entirely too easy to please."

He raises an eyebrow. "Zelena, my dear, I don't think anybody's ever said that to me before."

"Somebody else better not say it!"

'What somebody else? I don't know anyone else. Nobody else exists anymore. It's just you and me, love. How's the Caribbean chicken dish?"

Smiling, and completely oblivious to the presence of other patrons in the restaurant, she returns to her seat and picks up her fork to feed him a bite. "It's almost divine."

He chews thoughtfully. "Hey, that's pretty go… Oh, my… That will incinerate the titans! How are you eating that?"

Zelena shrugs as she takes another bite. "It's not that hot; it's just seasoned with a few bonnet chilies."

"Not that hot? Zelena! You're gonna give yourself bleeding gastric ulcers!"

Chuckling discreetly, she signals for a waitress and quietly requests, "Bring him a chilled glass of milk." Nodding, the young girl hurries away to the kitchen and Zelena whispers playfully, "My husband, Lord Death, sovereign head of the underworld, love of my life, delicate flower."

He points an accusatory finger as he shields his roasted mouth from view behind a curled fist. "Keep it up, beautiful. See if I feed you any strawberries for dessert?"

"I think I'd rather have the tiramisu tonight."

"Behave yourself and I'll make it happen." He nods in recognition when the young waitress quietly delivers his milk and forces himself to sip discreetly from the glass before asking, "Do you want to visit the observation deck after dessert; see the view from on high?"

She squints in abject uncertainty. "Hades, have you gone completely mad? Why does everybody suddenly feel as if they have the right to push me to exercise just because I'm with child? I don't even like breaking a sweat when I'm not pregnant, and you want me to walk 100 feet up a steep cramped spiral staircase when I'm three times my normal size?"

Hades sighs patiently. "You are not three times your normal size, and I never said a word about you walking up there. I'll gladly escort you."

"In that case, maybe it would be nice."

Afterward, we can settle into our room, and call to check on Eliana if you think they will be done collecting candy by then."

Zelena checks the delicate gold watch on her wrist. "They're already done. My sister seriously monitors Roland and Norah's sugar intake. She won't allow them to stay out there for more than thirty minutes."

Well, maybe it's like the whole limiting Robin's access to red meat thing. Her children a mortal. If too much red meat isn't good for them, I'm guessing an excess of sugar is equally bad."

"Yes, but Eliana would revolt if I tried to limit her as severely as Regina… Well, come to think of it, I don't know that it does any good. Elia says both Norah and Roland have a secret supply of sweets."

Hades chuckles drolly. "If that's true, it's not as secret as they think it is. Trust me, nothing goes on in that house that Regina doesn't know about. She's in charge of everything and everyone; including Robin. I have no clue how he tolerates it."

Zelena offers him a sweet smile and wisely avoids pointing out just how much control she truly has over him. "Maybe he enjoys her being the dominant personality in the house." Quiet but wicked laughter escapes her. "Maybe he's into that."

"She's certainly got the requisite wardrobe. She has more leather and more corsets than you do, and don't get me wrong, there's a time and a place, even for that." He smiles and reaches out to caress her face. "But.."

"I know. She's definitely the head of the household. Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy being the girl in the relationship."

I can't figure out how his merry band of tree-hugging miscreants hasn't accused him of selling out. He used to steal from the rich and give to the poor - not that I'm advocating for that kind of altruistic drivel, but she's the mayor; she's royalty. He pours drinks for a living. Being a kept man would not sit well with me. I need to be able to provide you and the children with the luxuries you so richly deserve. I can't fathom how he doesn't see that as his responsibility; his job as a man."

"It doesn't seem to bother Regina. I mean, he's entirely too unsophisticated for my tastes, but she seems happy with the arrangement."

"Cora would probably set entire villages on fire if she knew precisely how much her daughter has given up just to be with him."

"Oh, she has some idea?"

"You think so?"

"I know so. Before we left the underworld, she used to try to use me as a conduit for information. She mimics her mother. "Zelena, how are you darling? How's your sister? Is she still shacking up with that carriage robbing misanthrope?"

Her husband's jawline suddenly goes hard and rigid as an unforgiving dark light rises in his eyes. "Zelena, darling, why didn't you tell me she was doing that. I would have put a stop to it!"

"it's alright. Believe me, I pay her back. I just smile a take great pleasure in reminding her that her precious queen is living out in the woods in an ancient old barn with a thief who, if it weren't for the fact that time stood still during the various curses, would be considerably younger than Regina. I also may have neglected to mention that it's possibly the most elegantly refurbished barn ever seen by human eyes. Plus, I get a wicked little thrill out of reminding her that they aren't just shacking up; that she's legally married him, and that she's busy raising his less than royal progeny. "

Hades chuckles with sinister amusement. "That's my girl!"

"Regina's lucky Cora hasn't found a way to stage a comeback. She'd have Robin's heart for su… Ow! Oh god! Hades!" she drops her glass of cider and watches the stain spread over the elegant white tablecloth in slow motion as she places one hand on her belly and fists the other; pressing it roughly into the small of her back where a searing pain suddenly erupts.

On his feet instantly, he knocks over his chair and rounds the table to kneel beside hers. "My love?" He watches her eyes go wide with harsh pain and fear. Swallowing his own rising panic, he places a hand gently against her swollen abdomen and his son kicks hard in response to his touch. His worry mounting by the second, he inquires, "Is it labor?"

She nods and then shakes her head. "Not sure… But something's wrong … Shouldn't hurt like this… Not in my back. Not like this last time."

"Okay, hold on." He pushes hair aside and kisses her temple. "We're going right now." He wraps his arms around her and shimmers out of sight leaving restaurant patrons and staff to stare after them.

* * *

Hours later, Robin groans quietly in their darkened bedroom and reaches over his sleeping wife's body to pick up the unanswered ringing cell phone on her bedside table.

"Umm Hmm." He murmurs into the phone as Regina stirs beside him. While he listens to the caller on the other end of the line, she slowly comes awake, drapes an arm over his chest, and reaches for the lamp on his bedside table.

Listening patiently to his end of the conversation, she lays her head on his shoulder and waits. When he hangs up the phone, she asks, "Zelena?"

Robin nods as he tosses the blankets aside and leaves the bed. "Doesn't sound good. Hades says she's bleeding and the baby's in distress. They're going to do a cesarean."

"Not good." Regina concurs. Reaching for his hand, she pulls him back toward the bed. "I'll go. You stay here. Sleep. Be with the kids; especially Eliana."

He shakes his head and reaches for the jeans tossed over the back of a nearby chair. "Your dad can handle anything the kids throw at him; even Eliana. I'm going with you."

Quickly stepping into the closet, partially shielded from view, Regina shrugs out of her nightgown and lets it fall to the floor as she searches a drawer of intimate apparel for a bra. "You sure? It could be a long night."

"I'll be ready in two minutes. Want coffee?"

"Yes, but we can get that at the hospital. Write a quick note for Daddy so he'll know where we are."

Pulling a shirt over his head and retrieving his boots from their spot beside the dresser, Robin nods and leaves the room, moving on swift but utterly silent feet.

Stepping into a dress, and reaching for the matching pair of heels, Regina chuckles softly and shakes her head, thinking to herself. "Thief in the night."

A minute later she's rolling her hair into a loose knot and quickly securing it with a clip as she steps into their darkened kitchen. She shakes her head again when she finds his note to her father affixed to the front of the refrigerator with a magnet and scans the scrap of paper in the glow of the recessed light emanating from the ice dispenser in the freezer door. The note reads simply, "We've gone to meet the stork."

As she opens the refrigerator door for a bottle of water, although she doesn't hear his approach, she feels Robin's familiar and capable hands at her back, gently tugging her dress's zipper up into the appropriate place. When he kisses the hollow of her neck, she leans into him. "You still move like a cat."

He's close enough for her to feel the upward curve of his lips when he smiles and whispers, "It still comes in handy."

Letting the refrigerator door close behind her, she turns in his embrace and wraps her arms around him; preparing to magically depart. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Who else are you sneaking up on in the dead of night." She asks standing halfway between their modern breakfast bar and their old-world stone fireplace.

Magically arriving in the waiting area just beyond the hospital's emergency room entrance, he answers. "Nobody but you, mi'lady."

Intent on offering him a quick kiss, Regina moves in closer, coming up on her toes, only to be interrupted when the double doors under a sign indicating the surgical suite swing open and a petite but strident blonde nurse pushes a distraught, combative Hades out through the doors into the hallway.

"You need to let us work."

"She's my wife, damn it!"

"I know that sir, and I know you're trying to help, but every time you touch her you make things worse. Please, you need to just wait here!"

"Like hell! I will not leave her!"

Hades jerks free of the forceful young nurse's grasp and begins to disappear from view; no doubt magically returning to his wife's side when Regina rushes forward just in time and stops him with a firm grip on his arm. Beyond the double doors, she can barely make out the sound of medical professionals talking excitedly; their voices nearly drowned out by her sister's unrelenting screams.

Hades shakes free of her strong grip intent on doing the nurse harm until he turns and realizes an instant before it's too late just who has taken hold of him. "Regina! He roars with as much anguish as rage.

Holding one hand up in a defensive manner she takes hold of him again as Robin steps forward; ready and willing to step between the two of them if need be.

"What's happening Hades?" She demands to know with as much compassion as she can manage while worrying that he's about to annihilate someone.

"They don't want me to touch her! I can't help her! Every time I touch her I make it worse!" He turns to the nurse once more. "I won't touch her anymore, I promise. But I won't leave her alone!"

He turns to leave again, but Regina holds tight. Fixing her gaze on the nurse, she firmly demands, "What's happening?"

The nurse gestures helplessly, "I've never seen anything like this, Ma'am. I don't think any of us have. The baby. He's too much for her. He's too strong. She's hemorrhaging but we're having a hard time doing anything about it because she's also throwing fire."

"It's not her! Hades shouts. "If you would just shut up and listen to me; you moronic twit! it's my son! He doesn't understand what's happening. He's just a baby. He's scared. He thinks you're hurting her. He's just trying to protect his mother."

"Okay sir, we hear you, but how are we supposed to save his mother if he's raising that protective bubble of his and setting everything on fire? I know you were trying to heal her, but that didn't work in our favor. I need to get back in there. So please, do us all a favor, and just stay here."

Regina stops her. With a firm grip on both their arms, she says calmly. "If you have no idea what to do next, going in there and getting yourself incinerated is not going to help anyone; right?"

The nurse nods helplessly.

"Now, Hades, why can't you heal Zelena? What's happening when you touch her?"

"I don't know why I brought her here, to be treated by Frankenstein! I should've taken her to Olympus. But no, she didn't want to go. She wanted to have the baby here, and I just had to let her have her way."

"Never mind the self-recrimination, Hades. That does us no good now. This is where we are now. Focus, please. Answer my question. Wait… Can you take her to Olympus now?"

"No. He shakes his head helplessly. It's too late to move her. I won't leave her."

"Can I go get someone who can help?"

Hades goes still for a moment, willing himself to focus – concentrate - think. At length, he shakes his head. "You could bring the whole family down, I don't think it would help."

"Okay, what would help? What's the problem?"

He gestures with hostility toward the nurse. "She right! She's just guessing, but she's right! He's too strong for her. He doesn't mean to, but he's killing her. And every time I touch her, to try to help, he taps into my power. It just makes it worse for her. I can't help her!" Frightened, angry, helpless tears flow from his eyes unchecked.

"He taps into you?"

"It can happen sometimes along familial lines, It's cal…"

Regina nods, finally understanding the problem. "it's called power-sharing. Sometimes it happens unintentionally between blood-related family, particularly at emotional or critical moments. He's too much god; she's too much human. Every time you touch her, he's co-opting your power, and overriding hers. Bringing more godly powers to the table, all of them related to you, is not going to help the situation."

"No, it won't. Hey…Regina… Can you?" He starts and stops haltingly; hopefully.

She shrugs, already anticipating his question, her mind running along the same track as his. "I don't know Hades. Maybe. Maybe not."

"Why - maybe not."

"Because, yes, I'm related to her, but that also makes me related to him. Different person, but same problem."

"Yes, but you're not godly. If I can share with him, then you should be able to share with her."

"In theory, yes. Maybe he wouldn't tap into it since I'm not a god, and she and I… We're only half relatives. I don't know if that would hurt, or help, in this instance. Maybe he wouldn't tap in. Maybe he would. I don't know. I've never done this before. Not even unintentionally. But, even if he doesn't commandeer my power, we still could have a potentially huge problem. I'm a shadow caster. Zelena is not. She's tired, she's weak, she's terrified. She has no idea how to control shadow casting. It's taken me the better part of four years to get a handle on it, and I'm still not an expert. If she taps into that, in her condition, if she casts a shadow… Well, the word Chernobyl comes to mind."

"She won't. She's not a light practitioner and you have to be capable of both to cast a shadow, right? She's never even used a light magic by itself let alone simultaneously with dark. The first time you used light magic, I'm betting it didn't happen simply because you wanted it to."

"No. It was deliberate. I had to will it, focus on it, give all of myself over to it."

"She's too weak for something like that right now. She couldn't do it even if she wanted to Regina… please. You have to try. I can't lose her." His eyes, his face, his very soul pleads with her.

Regina shifts her attention momentarily. "Robin?" She reaches for his hand.

Lord Death's face contorts in pain and rage. "Why the hell are you asking him? Don't tell me you need permission!"

Still holding Robin's gaze, when Regina speaks next, her voice sounds maddeningly calm to the deity's ears. "I'm asking him because he's my husband. He has a say in this. If this goes wrong…"

Robin stands perfectly still for an interminable second caught somewhere between nodding his head and shaking it as Zelena's anguished screams echo off the walls. With absolutely no desire to do so, he says, "You have to. This is what we do, right?"

She throws her arms around him. Holding him tightly, fiercely, and briefly, she whispers. "I love you." Then, tearing herself away, she takes hold of her brother-in-law's hand and pushes through the swinging double doors at a run.

At a loss for what to do next, Robin shouts, I'll just wait here."

Regina shouts over her shoulder, catching one last glimpse of him. "No, go get Emma! Wake her up! We may need some quick healing; The kind that works faster than Weil's medicine."

Robin shouts again, already moving for the exit at a breakneck pace, "I'll be right back!"

Regina tears down the hallway, running toward the sound of her sister's screams; Hades keeping pace with every stride. He points needlessly, and she veers left and steps over the threshold of an open door into a surgical theater. For a moment, the sight before her steals her breath and stops her heart. The protective bubble as the nurse called it – the magical force field that had protected him from the attacks of the dementors is large enough to almost completely encapsulate his mother leaving only her hands unsheilded. One wrist is free. the other is restrained; cuffed to the bed with the kind of padded enclosures that prevent unstable patients from harming themselves or others. Someone must have been lucky enough to restrain that one before the fireworks began.

Dr. Weil and his nursing staff are crouched low in the farthest corner of the room trying desperately to avoid contact with the wild unrestrained flow of fiery power that emanates from her free palm, she's on her back on an operating table with a curtained divider positioned below her breasts. The lower half of the sheet beneath her body is stained dark red with blood. Surgical instruments are scattered wildly on the floor. The room is overly bright courtesy of the large surgical lamp overhead, and that nearly blinding brightness is made to appear eerie and unholy by the steady stream of flame Zelena has no control over. Her thick curls are limp, lifeless and soaked with perspiration. Her face is pale; nearly drained of color, contorted in pain and anguish, and glistening wet with tears, while her neck is a shade of crimson that conflicts garishly with her normally vibrant red hair.

Regina takes a deep breath and a single second to collect herself before whispering to herself, "Okay, here we go." With nowhere to hide, she approaches cautiously in what she hopes is a non-threatening manner.

Zelena's blue eyes widen dramatically and she stops screaming long enough to focus on her sister before listlessly shaking her head side to side in a feeble attempt to keep her from stepping into harm's way.

"Can't make it stop." She whispers raggedly before wailing again as her body twitches and trembles involuntarily

Still moving slowly, Regina raises both hands, ready to attempt magical deflection if necessary. When she is still six inches away from her sister, she leans forward places one hand on the redhead's shoulder, and the other on her arm just below her elbow. Slowly she moves her own hand toward her sister's wrist until she is able to forcibly lower it ¼ inch at a time and point it away from all living things.

"No. Not you… Can't be here. Leave while you still can." Zelena begs.

Regina smiles and gently pushes sweat-soaked hair away from her sister's face. "Try and make me, Greenie. Hades and I aren't going anywhere. You're stuck with us. Just relax. Relax, breathe, focus on Hades, and let me help you."

"How? You can't. They can't. No one can." She clenches her teeth and screams again.

Regina hisses softly. "Hey, I've had my ass handed to me by furies, the Dark One, Cora Mills, and even you, Zelena. I survived it all. I'm not about to be taken down by one seriously unhappy magical fetus. So, stop arguing and take what you're being offered."

It takes a long moment for Zelena to react when both her sister's hands begin to glow a dazzling white-gold. There's a moment of confusion; a long mental hiccup before the diameter of the baby's magical shield shrinks infinitesimally. It takes several more agonizing seconds before Zelena realizes what happening and what she is expected to do.

She shakes her head again.

Regina counters with a nod of her own and whispers. "Relax, breathe please, and don't fight me. Don't worry about me. You grab hold, take all you can from me. If we can calm him, or at least subdue him, the doctor and the nurses can do their jobs."

"I don't want to hurt him." She sobs pitifully.

"We're not trying to hurt him. We're trying to help him, honey. He just doesn't know that yet. Besides, if he's anything like his daddy, and obviously he is, I'll wager he's pretty damn close to bulletproof."

Zelena chuckles weakly.

"If we're going to do this, we have got to do it now, because… well frankly, you don't look so hot, Greenie. Time is of the essence. You can either waste it by arguing with me, or you can take my hand."

It takes a great deal of concentration on the parts of both sisters, magic working in tandem with determination, but eventually, the steady stream of flames arcing from the redhead's palm does burn itself out. As soon as it does, Zelena reaches feebly for Regina's hand and the younger of the two squeezes gently and waits the longest four seconds of her life before she feels all their resistance slide away as a channel opens between the two of them allowing Zelena to draw on Regina's strength, magic, healing, and the very essence of her life. At first, the flow is tentative as neither sister knows precisely what to expect. Seconds later, when it becomes apparent that nothing cataclysmic is likely to happen, the pull becomes stronger; almost greedy in nature and Regina knows instinctively that the experience will be a costly one. She lets go of her sister's wrist and places her free hand just over the baby's protective field and allows it to glow hovering over her sister's abdomen. All eyes in the room watch hopefully as the magical shield shrinks and slowly begins to dissipate at a frustratingly torpid pace.

Once it finally does disappear from sight several long moments later, a new shift occurs. One Regina hadn't foreseen at all. Without her nephew shielding his mother from all perceived dangers the channel between the two sisters alters itself. Instead of remaining a one-way conduit between the two of them, it opens itself up, creating the possibility for equal exchange and the instant that occurs, Zelena's agony becomes Regina's as well.

Her head throbs. Sounds become amplified. She smells the coppery scent of her older sister's blood. She tastes the bile rising in the back of her sister's throat. Her lungs burn. Her breathing becomes labored. Perspiration breaks out from every pore in her flesh. Her physical strength is all but gone. Her knees buckle, and she leans perilously against the edge of the table. Unimaginable, indescribable pain sears through her back, her hips, and every hidden recess of her femininity. Regina clings to her sister's bicep, just below her shoulder and will herself not to break the connection. In agony, she clenches her teeth and grinds out the only coherent words reverberating around inside her head. "Son of a bitch!"

When one knee nearly touches the floor, Regina senses her brother-in law's reflexive movement behind her. Zelena's eyes widen, she shakes her head erratically, and both women screech hideously and in perfect unity, "Don't fucking touch me!"

Hades stops, momentarily frozen in time, hands outstretched, inches away from catching Regina in a misguided attempt to render aid. Zelena falls silent, and Regina hisses volatility. "I'm connected to her. She's connected to the baby. You touch me, you touch him, and then we're all going right back to where we started. You keep your damn hands to yourself… and somebody, get me a god damn chair!"

When she doesn't detect immediate movement from any direction, she screams in a hard, unforgiving tone of voice. "Now, damn it! Let's go! Move it! Hustle, hustle, hustle!"

Rising to his knees in the corner of the room where he and the nurses took shelter, Weil reaches out and grabs the stainless-steel rolling stool meant for him to sit on during normal deliveries and gives it a hard shove sending it careening in Regina's direction.

When Hades uses a foot to stop it from rolling right passed her, she's caught momentarily between 'thank you' and 'don't touch it!' He kicks it gently and when it rolls into place, Regina collapses onto it, a breath away from toppling over sideways before she catches and rights herself.

Now, with the free hand she no longer needs to support herself, she wipes tears from Zelena's face. "You're doing great. You're going to be fine. Hang on. I'm still here. I might scream a few more obscenities at your husband for you, but I'm not going anywhere."

The redhead almost manages to smile before she lets go of another piercing shriek.

Regina pants heavily, feeling like her empty womb is the guest of honor at a Viking funeral. Zelena wheezes raggedly and Regina orders, "Okay Doc, you're up. Do your thing. Do it right, do a good, do it fast!"

Weil approaches tentatively, as do his nurses. "It's 60 seconds from skin to baby… As long as he doesn't start throwing fire again or try to block our progress."

"Well, what the hell are you waiting for? Let's go! Clock's ticking! The baby is fine now, but if you wait much longer, I'm going to start hurling fire, right at your head and trust me, my aim is better!"

"I'd take her seriously if I were you, Doc."

Regina's head whips around at the sound of an unexpected, but intimately familiar voice. Although she can't manage a smile, she's utterly thrilled to find Robin standing just inside the door along with a sleep-deprived Emma who is clad in pajamas and an overcoat and standing immediately to his left.

"How did you… So fast?"

Robin flashes his grin. "Courtesy of the magic of North Atlantic Bell and Emma Swan. I was bloody well going to run all the way to her house. I made it out to the parking lot before it dawned on me that my cell phone was in my coat pocket. I called. She answered. Twenties seconds later she was standing beside me in the parking lot.

Emma steps forward, eyeing the two sisters with concern. "Who's first?"

Zelena needs everything you can give her - now! Once the baby's out, I can drop the magical link between us, and I should be okay."

"You're linked? Robin didn't tell me that."

Regina rolls her eyes. "Talk later! Help now, blondie."

Emma moves to the other side of the table so that she's facing Regina. Not really certain what is needed or how to go about providing it, she glances at Regina's glowing hands.

Regina nods encouragingly and Zelena watches the two of them as if she is somehow detached from the whole experience; her head and lolling listlessly from one side to the other.

"I don't know if I can do what you're doing, Regina. I'm not even sure what you are doing… or rather, I'm not sure how you're doing what you're doing."

Regina shakes her head. "Doesn't matter right now. You shouldn't try. Trust me, you don't want to do this. She's sinking fast. I can heal her, or I can act as a magical mediator between the doctor and the baby, but I cannot do both simultaneously. He's too strong. Stay away from her abdomen until the baby is completely out. Until then, just try to hold her steady. If you can hold the status quo until he's out, things will be a lot better."

Emma nods and smiles down at Zelena adding fresh low-level, but life-sustaining power to the cause.

Robin steps up behind his wife and rests his strong hands on her shoulders, letting her know that he's there.

One of the nurses looks around the room and shakes her head. "Not one of you in here is properly gowned or gloved, except for Dad. Our sterile field is shot all to hell."

Emma nods. "That's okay. We can fix that later. What we got will put your medical science to shame, lady."

Hoping nothing more is going to go seriously awry, the medical team finally gets down to business. An IV line is inserted. Medicine is finally delivered. A new uncompromised tray of surgical instruments is quickly located, and once the doctor and nurses settle into their familiar prenatal surgical routine, everything happens with mind-numbing speed and precision.

Even as weak as she is, Zelena makes a feeble attempt to pick her head up to peer over the divider hoping to catch a glimpse of her son as he arrives.

Regina blinks deliberately as though she's fighting a war with oblivion, so Emma says for her, "Uh-uh just lie still. Try not to move. You'll see him soon enough."

With people moving around in the room, Hades loses his view of things and attempts to move closer.

As if her arms suddenly weigh 1000 pounds, Regina lifts one finger, points with deliberation and she pants breathlessly; nearing exhaustion. "Stand over there in the corner where she can see you. Do not touch anyone or anything. In fact, put your hands behind your back. You'll be able to hold her soon. Until then, stay out of the way and leave the hard stuff to the women."

With one magical hand hovering at the ready, Regina watches the doctor make the necessary incision. She watches as he retracts skin, and muscle, gently pushing it aside until he's able to lift the baby's head partially into view and carefully cut through the length of umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. As soon as he's completely free, his gray pallor instantly begins to improve, and the nurses set to work clearing his small obstructed airway and nasal passages.

Hades stares at the fat naked baby boy mesmerized and completely in awe while his weakened mother waits desperately; aching to hear her son's first cry. It takes agonizing seconds but just when Zelena is on the brink of hysteria, thinking they didn't make it in time, he squeaks twice and then wails for all the world to hear.

Regina smiles and touches her sister's cheek. "You're done being pregnant, honey. It's over. He's out. He's free and… he's breathing."

Zelena sobs quietly and uncontrollably. As she reaches out for both Hades and her son, Regina lowers the hand providing the magical buffer around the baby boy.

Instantly, the doctor yelps as teal colored flames encircle the child, flowing outward from all around him. "Uh, little help here, Auntie Regina!"

Because the connection between them is no longer needed, Regina releases her sister's hand and quickly places it in her husband's as he already knows that the no touching rule is no longer in effect. While Hades eagerly takes his wife's hand in his and kisses her forehead, Regina quickly leaves the stool, rocks slightly on her heels, not quite yet released from the experience, but even without turning back to look, she's intuitively aware that Robin is near and moving with her just in case she needs his support.

While Emma and Hades quickly set to work healing Zelena, Regina gives her full attention to the baby, renewing her own protective shield that helps to calm and soothe the newborn boy's anxieties over this new place he finds himself in. She smiles down at her new nephew as the doctor and nurses work quickly; eager to hand the child over to his waiting parents.

"Hi there, handsome. Welcome to the world, and I think you've caused enough trouble for tonight. Let's not set the nice doctor man on fire." She moves in sync with Weil and the nurses protecting them from the frightened boy with a gentle shield of pure white magic until they wrap him in a blanket and eagerly hand him over. At which point she wastes no time crossing the room and carefully placing her nephew in his father's outstretched arms. "There you go. You can set Daddy on fire all you like. He indestructible. He can handle it"

She pats Hades on the shoulder, kisses the baby's forehead, and then her sister's. "Congratulations! If you need anything else, speak now. Otherwise, we're all going home." She waits for three beats, when no one speaks up she smiles at Hades. "Goodnight and, if you ever get her pregnant again, I'm telling you now, do not call me!"

Laughing, Hades stands as close as he can to his wife and eases their son gently into her waiting arms. "Look what we did."

"He's absolutely perfect." Zelena marvels at the tiny wonder resting in her arms and smiles around a yawn.

Regina limps out of the room as quickly as her exhausted body will carry her with Emma and Robin close behind and the sound of her sister's tired but happy laughter in her ears. "Hello, my precious boy. Mummy and Daddy are so very pleased to meet you. Happy birthday, Theo."

* * *

Concerned by her obviously weakened condition, Emma escorts Regina and Robin as far as their front yard. When they materialize a few feet from the steps of the porch, Regina stumbles slightly and both Emma and Robin reach for her. Tired, and the irritated by that fatigue, she gently shakes free of them. "Thanks for the lift." She says so quietly that it only makes Emma worry all the more. Even her voice is worn out.

In search of his keys, Robin pats either side of his lower torso only to be reminded that he's not wearing his jacket. It's loosely draped around his wife's shoulders and when she reaches into the left-hand pocket and comes up with his keys, jingling them ever so slightly, he smiles and bows slightly like an usher pointing her in the direction she needs to go.

Halfway up the front porch steps and the sudden unsettling feeling washes over her. Inexplicably concerned that she's no longer on solid ground, she turns a slightly, softly calling his name and as he rushes toward her, worry clearly visible in his eyes, oblivion claims her, and she falls into a cold and unwelcoming darkness.

Catching up with her just in time to keep her from toppling headfirst down the steps, Robin turns her in his arms and even as Emma rushes forward, reaching out to offer help, he sweeps his wife's feet off the ground and lifts her into his arms.

"I've got her."

Feeling the rush of adrenaline, Emma breathes deeply; catching her breath before she offers him an eager smile. "Yes, you do. Pretty quick there on your feet. You don't even seem surprised."

Robin shrugs as he steps carefully up onto the front porch and waits for Emma to retrieve his fallen keys. "Not the first time this sort of thing has happened. She thinks on her feet. In the heat of the moment, she's fearless. She gives all she's got. It's not until after a thing is over and done that she surrenders."

Stepping up onto the porch, keys in hand, Emma eyes Regina's unconscious body with concern as Robin lowers himself onto the porch bench with her draped sideways across his lap.

Emma sits down on the bench beside them as Robin gently touches his wife's face. He doesn't lightly tap or pat her cheek; impatiently trying to force her to come around the way everyone else does under such circumstances. He simply touches her… and waits. That very fact lends seriousness and weight to his words. He wasn't joking or exaggerating. It's not the first time that he's done this.

Tired, ready to go home, and obviously no less concerned, but considerably closer to panic than Robin is, Emma gently touches Regina's shoulder and speeds the process along, offering a little general healing as a magical boost.

Once she starts, Emma's consciously aware of time, counting off the seconds in her head. It takes considerably longer than she expected it would before Regina's eyelids even twitch. She murmurs softly, and still, it takes almost another 30 seconds before her eyelids flutter, open, close, and open again. At which point, Regina simply offers Robin a lazy smile.

"I'm cold." She whispers softly "Cold, tired - and really hungry."

"I'll draw you a nice hot bath. While you're in the tub, I'll make you something to eat. You can eat in bed, and tomorrow, you can sleep as late as you want. I'll get Roland and Norah out of the house, take them fishing or something, so they won't wake you."

Regina smiles again and starts to snuggle deeper into his arms until she remembers that they aren't alone. When she realizes that Emma is in the process of providing magical fortification Emma feels an unfamiliar shift in the flow of her own power, as if once it enters Regina's body, it's being manipulated, routed or directed to where it's needed most. Puzzled by this new sensation, Emma squints at her own hand, but except for a flicker of hesitation, she doesn't stop her efforts until Regina sits up straight and begins to rise to her feet of her own accord.

"I'm good now. That's much better. Thank you."

Emma nods. "Need anything else?"

"Nothing Robin can't take care of for me. You should go home. You look whooped."

"Not as whooped as I feel, and I wasn't even the one metaphysically linked to women giving birth to a demigod an hour ago. Did you really feel all that?"

Regina shrugs. "I'm not sure if I felt all of it, but I certainly felt enough of it. Giving birth to Norah was a cake walk compared to that."

Robin chuckles dryly. "Regina, you were in labor with Norah for nineteen hours."

"Yes, I know. I remember. I remember every minute of those nineteen hours, and I'm telling you, that was a piece of cake compared to tonight. I was serious when I told them that I am never doing that again. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I did. But never… ever again! I know - I didn't actually give birth to anybody, but a few minutes ago my body felt like I had."

She turns her attention specifically to Emma. "So, thank you again for the healing. I thought that once I dropped the power-sharing link between myself and Zelena I would be fine. I didn't expect the sensations to linger. Actually, when I started, I was just trying to offer her something she needed. It didn't occur to me that the link between us might flow both ways. Before I started, I never expected to feel what she felt at all. Good thing I didn't expect it. If I had, I'm not sure I would have done it."

Emma chuckles quietly. "Yeah, you would. Regina, in all the time I've known you I've never once seen you run from anything."

Regina nods aggressively. "Even so, if my sister ever manages to get herself pregnant again, you're going to see me do some running - and when I say run; I'm talking leave town!"

Emma smiles. "Okay, if you say so. But tonight, the only place you should go is upstairs to bed, and now that I've said that, I'm going to take myself home to bed.

An hour later, Robin moves Regina's tray from the bed to the top of his dresser and returns to his side of the bed. "I'll clean up first thing tomorrow morning." He says settling in beside her and wrapping his arms around her.

"Fine by me." She smiles sleepily and slides a hand beneath the hem of his T-shirt; resting her cool touch against the warmth of his lower abdomen. She places her head on his shoulder and pulls his arms tighter around herself.

"Still cold?"

She nods.

"Want me to turn the heat on?"

She shakes her head. "Then you'll be hot. Besides, I'm cold but it's not like it was before Emma healed me. I'm okay now. I'm sure it's just my body's way of reacting to the shock. You're warm enough. I'll be fine in a bit."

Robin rests a concerned hand on top of her satin sleep shirt directly over her belly "Still hurting?"

"Not at all. Emma fixed that. I'm just tired. That can be remedied easily enough."

"Need or want anything else?"

Lifting her head off his shoulder, she whispers, "Just you." Before placing a warm and inviting kiss on his lips.

When his brain and his body receive a message he wasn't expecting, he retreats slightly, pressing his head back firmly into his pillow and squinting at her with profound uncertainty. "Really?"

She shrugs. "Why not?"

"Oh, I don't know. Because you went through hell tonight. Because an hour ago you could barely stand on your own two feet."

She purses her lips and nods. "Yeah, but Emma fixed 98% of what was wrong with me. If she hadn't, you wouldn't be getting any for at least six weeks, but she did, and I don't have to stand up – not for this."

Robin smiles "Well, that's certainly true enough, but you're exhausted, Regina."

She smiles and nips gently at his lower lip. "Pretty close. But that's okay. You can do all the grunt work tonight."

"Oh, I can; can I?" He plays with the top button of her shirt, wanting to accept her invitation, but still somewhat concerned.

"I promise, I am tired, but I'm okay, Robin. It's okay. Tonight was beyond intense, I just want…" She shrugs. "You make me stronger, Robin."

He cups her chin in the palm of his hand and whispers gently but adamantly, "You listen to me. You have absolutely no reason to feel weak."

She shrugs again. "Maybe you don't think so, but I do. Ever since you mentioned it a few months ago, I've been thinking that I don't have the energy for another baby. After tonight, I feel lazy and selfish. Having his children could literally kill my sister. Tonight, it almost did. Did you see her holding that baby? With him in her arms, she couldn't have cared less that she nearly died. He's more than worth it."

"Feeling like you'd rather devote your energy to taking care of the children we already have does not and make you lazy or selfish. There's risk with any pregnancy. Yes, more so with the two of them, but they reminded me of that tonight. He nearly lost her. If that happened – if it happened to us, I…"

Regina shakes her head, pulling him closer even as he reaches for her.

* * *

Three weeks later, Regina answers the insistent repeated ringing of the doorbell to find her brother-in-law standing on the front porch with a screaming child in his arms. She steps back, allowing him entry and studies the howling baby boy curiously.

Completely mystified, she asks, "What'd you do to him?"

Hades scowls in annoyance. "What makes you think I did something to him?"

Regina gestures at the baby as if it should be self-explanatory. "Well, look at him. Every time I stop by the house to check on Zelena and this little man, he's smiling, and happy. He's normally such a content little guy. The only time I've even heard him fuss is when Eliana takes his pacifier from him."

"Oh, then you've never been around him when Zelena is not there with him? This is what happens if she's not around."

Regina reaches out and scoops the baby into her arms and props his little head on her shoulder. Rubbing his back, she asks, "What's the matter, Theo? Did Mama go away? It's okay. Trust me, she will come back. She's not going to stay away from her little prince for too long. No, she won't. I promise."

She waves Hades into the living room and follows, gently rocking his son. Within seconds, although he still cries, he gets quieter; stops howling.

While Hades helps himself to a seat on one of the lavishly upholstered sofas, Regina paces and rubs the boy's back in slow lazy circles.

"Where is Zelena today?"

"She took Eliana shopping, they're not supposed to be back for at least another hour. It's the first time she's been out of the house for more than five minutes since we brought him home."

Regina smirks. "So, you brought me an unhappy baby?" She retrieves Henry's storybook from one of the room's end tables before she sits down in Robin's favorite leather chair and moves the baby from her shoulder to her lap. She smiles at him and tells him, "Your daddy's silly, Theo."

Theo smiles, his little face still wet with tears, and blows bubbles in his own drool.

Regina holds up an expectant hand and, without a word, Hades easily tosses the cloth diaper that's draped over the shoulder of his custom-tailored suit her way. She wipes the baby's face and chin and settles in; tossing the cloth over her own shoulder.

"Let's see if we can keep you occupied until Mama and Sister return. Would you like that?" Opening the book to the back and balancing it carefully on her knees as she cradles her nephew close to her chest, she begins to read Henry's newest entry aloud in a soft soothing voice.

"He arrived very late on an unseasonably warm Halloween night. His parents, the Wicked Witch and the Dark Lord welcomed him into the world with open arms and happy hearts having decided long before he was born that he should be called Theo; a name of Greek origin meaning gift of the gods…


End file.
